


Deadly Innocence

by hunter_king



Series: Supernatural - Wincest [28]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M, Slash, Swearing, Top Dean Winchester/Bottom Sam Winchester, Violence, spoilers for s01e06 - Skin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-08-26 11:16:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 35,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16680580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hunter_king/pseuds/hunter_king
Summary: The shapeshifter didn't die and instead kidnapped Sam, taking off with him. Dean at first doesn't realize Sam has been taken and takes him a while to realize who has Sam. The shifter keeps Dean's form and keeps Sam underground as his sex toy. Months pass and Sam learns fighting is useless, and the only way to survive is to obey 'Dean' without question, the shifter is clearly obsessed with Sam and Sam ends up with Stockholm Syndrome, almost falling in love with the Shifter. When Dean *finally* finds Sam, rescuing Sam won't be easy, since Sam isn't sure he wants to be rescued.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt fill for Imogen_lily  
> Beta'd by masja_17  
> Written for the wincest_bigbang in October 2013  
> Art made by eosrose ([here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1018331))

Dean groaned softly as he rolled over on the mattress, slowly waking from his slumber. The sheets were cold where there had been a body earlier, causing Dean to frown. It wasn’t _that_ late; no later than nine o’clock, so there was no reason the sheets should be this cold. “Sammy?” Dean grumbled, his voice still heavy with sleep as the older man pushed himself into a seated position, grabbing the blankets that were pooled around his hips to make sure they didn’t slip lower. “Sam?” he called again, louder this time, his brow creasing with concern as he reached for his cell phone.

Just as Dean was about to call to Sam and freak out, the younger man walked out of the bathroom, smiling widely at Dean and flashing those stupid dimples that turned Dean to butter within seconds. He looked so damn pleased with himself that Dean wanted to just smack that smile off Sam’s face. “What are you grinning about?” Dean asked, allowing his cell phone to fall back onto the nightstand. “And what the hell time did you get out of bed? Sunrise?”

“I woke up at seven,” Sam answered with a smile, slipping back into the bed beside his brother. He didn't even hesitate as he scooted closer to Dean, pressing their lips together and moaning softly against his brother’s plush mouth. Lazy mornings were Sam’s favorite. Dean always wanted to be on the move, looking for their dad and killing every evil creature they came across on the way. Not that Sam was complaining about that – he liked to keep people safe too, but sometimes he just wanted to relax. Even hunters deserved a break every now and then. “I tried to wake you up, but you begged for another five minutes, and I just couldn’t resist.” Smirking, Sam added, “That was an hour and a half ago.”

It was no secret that Dean Winchester loved his sleep. “Well, if someone hadn’t kept me up all night begging to cuddle, maybe I would have woken up when you told me to,” Dean teased, nipping at Sam’s bottom lip before he flopped back down onto the mattress, tugging Sam down with him. They needed to get on the road soon, but for now, Dean just wanted to hold Sam and spend a little time with the younger man. After all, they were always busy and they rarely got time to themselves. Last night had been the first time in a long time that they’d actually been able to just lie down together and relax.

A deep blush came to Sam’s cheeks when Dean mentioned the cuddling thing – yeah, he’d done it, but that didn’t mean Dean had to poke fun at him about it. So what if Sam liked to have Dean’s arms wrapped around him in the middle of the night. It made him feel safe, and he wasn’t going to apologize for that. “You love it when I ask you to cuddle with me,” he assured his brother instead, Sam scooting closer to Dean and wrapping the older man’s arm over his waist, lacing their fingers together.

Dean wasn’t denying that he loved it, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to admit it out loud either. Instead, he rolled onto his side and pulled Sam back against him, frowning to himself at the fact that Sam was wearing his clothes again. Last night, Dean had taken his good old time getting those things off Sam and now they were back. Slowly, he pushed his free hand under the waistband of Sam’s sweat pants, chuckling softly when he felt Sam press his ass back against him. “You know, things would be so much easier if you just walked around naked all of the time,” he stated matter-of-factly. 

Now it was Sam’s turn to chuckle, the sound cutting off into a deep moan when his brother’s fingers wrapped around his cock and gave it a gentle squeeze, blood filling his member in moments. “Y-Yeah, I’m sure you’d get a real kick out of that one,” he breathed, biting into his bottom lip to keep from moaning too loudly as his hips rocked back against Dean’s. He hoped that this was getting Dean as turned on as it was Sam because he didn’t want to be the only one with a stiffy in this room. “I can just imagine what people would say if there was a naked man in their house trying to interview them about a dead loved one.”

Again, Dean chuckled at his little brother, giving his head a small shake before his lips closed over the pulse point in Sam’s neck. “I didn’t mean when we were out of the motel room,” he clarified. “You’d end up getting us arrested for indecent exposure.” Then again, Dean had to admit, it would be kind of funny to see his brother naked out in public. The way Sam’s cheeks would burn bright with embarrassment would be so fucking sexy – just the thought had Dean’s dick jumping with glee.

They really didn’t need the police involved. His brother was already on the lamb from the Jericho police station. And although the police didn’t know it, Sam had been his accomplice, so technically, Sam was in their radar too. The last thing they needed was to be running from two different police stations in two different states. “I wouldn’t walk around naked anyway, Dean,” Sam assured the older man, biting into his bottom lip once more as his brother ground his hard length against them. Now, Sam was really regretting putting on these stupid ass sweatpants.

No longer interested in the conversation about Sam being naked in public, Dean squeezed Sam’s cock once, nosing along the nape of the younger man’s neck as he whispered, “Have you already showered today?”

Dammit, Sam knew there was a reason he didn’t wake up before Dean in the mornings. “Y-Yeah,” he answered, giving his head a small nod. “Wanted to get an early start because I knew you wanted to get on the road.”

“Mmm…that just means I have to make you dirty again so you can join me when I get my shower,” Dean explained matter-of-factly, his hand on Sam’s dick stroking teasingly, his lips skimming across Sam’s neck and shoulders before he nipped at the younger man’s collarbone. Dean was never going to get used to the taste of Sam in the morning – it was seriously intoxicating. Especially after the younger man got out of the shower and tasted like that stupid berry shampoo that he used on his hair. Yeah, Dean knew it shouldn’t be so sexy, but it was.

Although he had been trying to help them get on the road faster when he got into the shower this morning, he _really_ wanted Dean to make him dirty again so he could shower with him. After all, showering with Dean was one of Sam’s favorite things to do – even if it took a lot longer than showering alone because Dean always managed to get distracted. Honestly, that was half of the fun. “I guess so,” Sam answered, pushing back against Dean for a few more seconds before he rolled onto his other side so they were facing each other, crushing their lips together. It was totally worth losing the attention that his cock had been getting a few minutes earlier.

When he was kissed, Dean moaned softly, his hand that was stroking his brother a few minutes earlier moving to fist in Sam’s hair, pulling his head around the way he wanted it as he thrust his tongue into Sam’s mouth, tasting the younger man. He wanted these clothes off his brother, and he wanted it now. Pulling back from the kiss, Dean pushed his brother down onto the mattress, his hands instantly moving to pull Sam’s T-shirt over his head, tossing it into the pile of clothes from the night before.

He ignored Sam’s complaints about that being a clean shirt as he worked on getting Sam’s sweat pants and boxers off, adding them to the dirty pile of clothes as well. Once his brother was naked, Dean smiled down at him, licking his lips. “You’re so fucking hot, baby,” he breathed, dipping his head and sucking at the pulse point in Sam’s neck once more – he knew how quickly that got Sam’s engine revving. 

As Dean sucked at his pulse point, Sam all but purred, the younger man pushing his body closer to Dean’s as his hands gripped his brother’s shoulder blades. “D-Dean,” Sam moaned, licking his lips as he rolled his hips against Dean’s, another deep moan falling from his lips. His fingers dug into Dean’s skin, leaving little half-moon indents where his short, blunt nails gripped Dean. He was sure Dean wouldn’t mind – after all, it was his fault. If he wasn’t making Sam feel this way, then Sam wouldn’t be holding on for dear life like this.

Honestly, Dean loved it when Sam got like this, the older Winchester pulling back slightly to smile down at his brother. “Yeah Sammy?” he asked smirking softly when Sam’s pleading eyes landed on him. Most of the time, Sam really couldn’t express what he wanted in words – it was usually just moans and in the way he said Dean’s name. Of course, Dean got the picture, pushing his brother’s knees apart and sliding into the opening, his hard cock sliding along his brother’s ass crack. “Want me inside you, don’t you Sammy?”

Sam was powerless to do anything other than nod, his fingers digging into Dean’s skin deeper, pulling his brother closer to him. “Please?” he mumbled against Dean’s lips were on his again, the younger man pushing his ass back against Dean’s length. He groaned loudly as his brother sucked his nipple into his mouth, nipping at the hardened bud before he moved to do the same to its twin. “Oh God, Dean, please,” Sam begged, fingers carding through Dean’s short-cropped hair.

As Dean continued to attack his nipples, Sam pressed his head back against the headboard, allowing Dean to maneuver his body any way he wanted as his eyes squeezed closed in pleasure. "Dean..." he breathed softly once more, his breaths already picking up to a soft panting as Dean worked all of his sweet spots, his brother moving to give his neck attention now.

Slowly, Dean pulled back from the spot on Sam's neck he was now sucking. "I'm gonna take care of you...take care of you..." Dean whispered as he started pressing kisses to Sam's body once more. Without looking, Dean reached for the nightstand drawer, pulling it open and fishing around inside for the lube that seedy motels like these often had hiding in there, slapping the drawer half way closed before he squeezed a generous dot onto his palm. He knew they’d just had sex last night so he wouldn’t have to take all that much time prepping his brother. And he was fine with that because he knew they needed to get on the road, but he wanted Sam now.

Sam moaned softly as Dean pushed a slick digit into his hole, biting into his bottom lip at the initial pain that he felt. It was quickly replaced by pleasure as Dean allowed his finger to hit the sweet bundle of nerves inside Sam that made him see white because he was in so much pleasure. Dean usually had that effect on him though, so Sam wasn’t surprised.

Although he and Dean had done this a million times, Dean always managed to make it exciting. No two times with his brother were the same, and Sam loved it. Just when Sam thought Dean was going to suck on his neck again, he would gently bite at his nipple, or he would capture Sam’s lips in his own. It was amazing. As Dean added another finger, Sam groaned in pleasure once more, back arching to get closer to Dean as the older man continued to kiss and suck at his neck.

Once Dean could get three fingers inside Sam comfortably without the younger man showing any signs of pain, Dean knew that it would be all right to replace his fingers with what Sam really wanted. He made quick work of lubing up his cock before he lined himself up with Sam’s prepared hole, kissing the younger man’s lips softly. His brother groaned softly when Dean pushed in, burying himself to the hilt slowly before stopping completely, giving Sam time to adjust. "You alright?" he breathed softly, capturing Sam's lips with his own once more when he received the nod in response.

Only a few minutes after Dean started to move, it was already feeling so damn great that Sam got restless, pushing himself up into a seated position and forcing Dean to change positions so they didn't lose contact. He kissed Dean roughly, nipping at the older man's plush bottom lip before he rolled them so that Dean was on his back with Sam straddling his hips. Their combined moans of pleasure and soft pants filled the room as Dean chuckled, his hands running up Sam's sides as he rode him. 

"Oh, easy tiger," he teased, knowing that his brother could get a little enthusiastic at times, not that he cared. Still, he didn’t want Sam to move this along too quickly and have them both come too early, so he rolled them back over and angled his hips so that when he pushed back in, he hit Sam's prostate, smiling once more when his brother's eyes squeezed closed in pleasure and his head pressed back into the pillow, revealing Sam's long neck. "Oh Sammy," he breathed huskily, head dipping to nip and kiss Sam's neck.

Their pace slowly began to pick up, Sam feeling heat pool low in his belly as his hands gripped at Dean, his left leg coming up to wrap around his brother's waist, pulling Dean closer. "Oh God," he moaned, head turning to offer Dean more of his neck. If this kept going on, he wasn't going to last long. "Please, Dean..." One final thrust and Sam was sent crashing into oblivion, his inner muscles clenching around Dean, pulling his brother right along with him.

As they both came down from their high, Dean rolled onto his side, wrapping an arm around his lover’s waist. His lips slowly trailed kisses along Sam’s neck and over to his shoulder, then back. “Mmm…I love you, Sammy,” he whispered softly, spooning in closer behind Sam. Of course, he knew they couldn’t stay here like this for long, but he was going to take advantage of it while he could.

A wide smile came to Sam’s lips as he closed his eyes, ready to just fall asleep in his brother’s arms. “I love you too,” he whispered back, scooting back a bit so there was no space between his and Dean’s bodies. Sure, there hadn’t been much to begin with, but it had been enough as far as Sam was concerned. If they stayed here like this, he would fall asleep, so he rolled over again, nose skimming along Dean’s jaw line. “We have to go shower or else I’m gonna fall asleep.”

Smirking, Dean chuckled, “Yeah, I know you will, ya big girl.” Although he really didn’t want to, Dean rolled himself out of the bed, grabbing Sam’s wrist and tugging him out of the bed as well, all but dragging the younger man into the bathroom. In seedy motels like this, it took forever for the water to heat up, so Dean spent his time wisely, his hands on Sam’s hips, holding the younger man close to his body as he attacked Sam’s neck with his lips and teeth. “Think I can make you come again in the shower?” Dean asked, nipping at Sam’s sensitive skin.

That was about the dumbest question Sam had ever heard. “Probably,” he assured the older man with a small nod, head tilting to the side to offer Dean better access to his neck. “S’not that hard for you to get me going. All you have to do is look at me the way you do sometimes and I melt like butter in your hands.” Sure, that sounded tacky – and let’s face it, kind of girly – but it was the truth, and Sam wasn’t one to keep a lot of things from Dean.

Again, Dean smiled, reaching into the shower and making sure the water was hot before he tugged Sam into the shower with him. Sure enough, after just a few minutes of foreplay and having his hard length inside Sam, the younger man was coming all over the shower wall, Dean fumbling into ecstasy right behind him. 

Once they were finally clean, Sam and Dean didn’t waste any time getting dressed and packing up their shit. They needed to hit the road if they wanted to make it to their destination before nightfall. Dean grabbed his and Sam’s duffel before tossing Sam the keys to the room, smiling at the younger man. “You go check us out, and I’ll pack up the car. And hurry up, Sammy. That front desk chick doesn’t need to spend twenty minutes staring at your ass like she did last night. That ass is mine, remember?”

Rolling his eyes, Sam headed off towards the front desk, knowing that his brother didn’t like it when other people checked him out. Sure, his brother had a jealous streak, but Sam wasn’t going to fault him for it. If Dean wanted to get jealous every time some woman – or man – looked Sam’s way, then Sam was fine with that. After all, he knew that Dean was the only one he was going home with when the time came. None of these other people who made a move meant anything to him. And the same went for the people who hit on Dean. As long as Sam was the only one Dean took to bed, he really didn’t care who his brother flirted with.

**~~**

About halfway through the day, Dean needed to stop at a gas station and fuel up. Not to mention that he seriously needed to use the bathroom. Three large cups of coffee to stay awake was never a good idea when there was a long drive ahead of him, but he’d done it. Stopping at a gas station to relieve his bladder was a small price to pay if it meant he didn’t wreck his baby. As soon as he was done with his business and paying for the gas, he came back out, rolling his eyes when he saw that Sam was on his stupid phone again. Seriously, if he was calling their father, Dean was going to smack him. John wasn’t answering, and Dean didn’t think Sam should be calling him so many times. If John wanted to talk to them, he would have picked up the first hundred times they called.

Still, he was going to rattle off the plan for the day anyway because he thought Sam had a right to know it. “Alright, I figure we’d hit Tucumcari by lunch, then head south, hit Bisbee by midnight.” When Sam didn’t respond, Dean frowned, leaning down a bit to see if Sam was even paying attention. “Sam wears women’s underwear,” he tried, smirking when Sam gave him one of his patented bitch faces. Yeah, he was so cute when he got annoyed.

“I do not, and you know it,” Sam responded finally, glaring at Dean before he went back to his phone. “Anyway, I’ve been listenin’, I’m just busy.” He’d fallen way behind with his e-mails since he started traveling with Dean again and he didn’t want his friends to think that he’d fallen off the face of the Earth or anything. Some of them were so attached to him that they might even file a missing person’s report, which was the last thing Sam and Dean needed right now.

Busy? Well, that was vague. And it wasn’t like Dean always had this need to know what Sam was doing, but he wanted to know what was so important that he would ignore Dean and not care about their plans for the night. If Sam was calling their father, Dean could understand, but other than that, he couldn’t figure out what was so important. “Busy doin’ what?” he asked, poking his head into the open window so he could look at Sam’s phone.

Not even paying attention to Dean really, Sam explained vaguely, “Reading e-mails.” He could feel it when Dean’s breath left his cheek, letting Sam know that Dean was now filling up the tank. God, he had so many damn e-mails!

Dean wasn’t exactly computer savvy, but he knew enough about it to know that in order to get e-mails, you had to have friends. Either that or spammers wanting to sell you something, so he couldn’t for the life of him figure out who Sam could be reading e-mails from. “E-mails from who?” he asked, suddenly even more curious than he had been before.

He pressed one of the e-mails with his finger to open it as he turned his head to look out the window at Dean while it was loading. “From my friends at Stanford,” he explained, his attention glued to the phone once more as soon as the page was loaded.

That had Dean chuckling. “You’re kidding,” he assured Sam, frowning slightly when the younger man didn’t laugh with him. “You still keep in touch with your college buddies?”

Almost as though he was hurt by Dean’s question, Sam turned his attention to his brother once more. “Why not?” he asked, honestly not understanding what was so strange about that. There was nothing wrong with having friends, even if he didn’t see them a lot. Or…ever really, now.

Honestly, Dean didn’t know why it was strange to him. “Well, what exactly do you tell ‘em?” he asked, leaning against the side of the Impala as he waited for her tank to get full. “You know, about where you’ve been, what you’ve been doin’?” Dean really doubted that Sam told everyone he was hunting monsters with his brother who just happened to also be his lover. That would have been an awkward conversation, he was sure.

Again, Sam frowned, shrugging a little. “I tell ‘em that I’m on a road trip with my big brother,” Sam explained. “I tell ‘em that I need some time off after Jess.” And really, Sam didn’t think he could even go back to Stanford if he wanted to. Being there now that Jessica was gone just wouldn’t be the same. Not to mention all of those people would be looking at him – pitying him. He didn’t need that shit.

“Oh, so you lie to ‘em,” Dean concluded, knowing that his brother probably didn’t see it that way. And sure enough, Sam retaliated by correcting Dean in saying that he just didn’t tell them everything. “Yeah, that’s called lying,” Dean argued. “Hey man, I get it. Tellin’ them the truth is far worse.” Hell, it would probably get his brother tossed into the nut house.

Sam knew that – he wasn’t dumb, but he didn’t want to admit that he was lying to the people that he considered friends. Then again, he’d blamed himself for Jessica’s death because he’d lied to her the whole time they were together, so what was the difference? “So, what am I supposed to do, just cut everybody out of my life?” When Dean shrugged, Sam frowned at him. “You’re serious?”

Of course Dean was serious. “Look, it sucks, but in a job like this, you can’t get close to people.” Dean had made that mistake once and it got him dumped. Never again. The only person Dean needed anyway was Sam. His brother already knew the truth and he accepted him for who he was. Dean couldn’t ask for more.

Scoffing, Sam asked, “You’re kind of anti-social, you know that?” He didn’t pay much attention to his brother’s mumbled response, the younger Winchester too engrossed in the e-mail he was reading. “God,” he breathed, frowning at his phone. Sam felt Dean’s breath on his skin a moment later, his brother’s soft inquiry about what had Sam so bent out of shape in his ear. “In this e-mail from this girl, Rebecca Warren, one of those friends of mine. I went to school with her, and her brother, Zack. She says Zack’s been charged with murder. He’s been arrested for killing his girlfriend. Rebecca says he didn’t do it, but it sounds like the cops have a pretty good case.”

Now, Dean was definitely interested. If these were the kinds of people Sam had been hanging out with, Dean was surprised he hadn’t had to come up to that damn school and beat some asses before because Sam could have been hurt. “Dude, what kind of people are you hanging out with?”

The younger Winchester was quick to shake his head, defending his friend to his brother. “No man, I know Zack. He’s no killer,” Sam assured Dean, running through scenarios in his head about what could have possibly happened to explain this.

Unlike Sam, Dean wasn’t so quick to trust people. “Well, maybe you know Zack as well as he knows you,” Dean suggested, taking the pump out of his tank when it clicked off, indicating that the Impala was full. He didn’t like that Sam had been associated with a killer, but he figured he’d have to let it drop. There was nothing he could do about it now other than keep Sam away from him.

However, it seemed like Sam had different plans. Closing his phone and placing it in his pocket once more, Sam explained, “They’re in St. Louis. We’re going.” Of course, Dean was going to need a bit more convincing than that. The older man was insisting that this wasn’t their kind of problem, but Sam knew better. They had a case in Bisbee, but another hunter could handle it. “It is our problem,” Sam argued, using his huffy voice. “They’re my friends.”

There was no way in Hell Dean was going to St. Louis to investigate the case of a possible killer because he was Sam’s friend. Sure, he felt bad that Sam learned the bad news and there was nothing they could do, but they had a case, and Dean was going to Bisbee, dammit. “St. Louis is four hundred miles behind us, Sam!” Dean complained, trying to talk some sense into his brother.

Unfortunately, Dean couldn’t help but get into the car and peel out of the gas station, making a U-turn in the direction of St. Louis when Sam fixed him with a stare that promised he wouldn’t have sex with him for months to come if he didn’t get his ass in the car and start towards St. Louis. Damn Sam and his ability to withhold sex as a punishment. Dean was so going to get Sam back for this one.


	2. Chapter 2

Turns out, the thing that killed Zack’s girlfriend was a shapeshifter – definitely their kind of problem. This thing had taken his friends form and killed his girlfriend. Sam knew a thing or two about losing someone you loved, so he could relate. The ‘shifter was going to wish that it had never fucked with Sam’s friends. A small frown came to his lips when his phone rang, Sam holding a finger up to his brother as he grabbed the phone and flipped it open. “This is Sam,” he answered.

It was Rebecca on the other line. “Where are you?” she asked, her voice tight as though she was trying to reign in her anger. 

Glancing around the area he was standing around, Sam answered, “We’re near Zack’s.” He saw Dean coming closer to him out of the corner of his eye and he smiled softly at his brother. “We’re just checkin’ some things out.” They finally figured out what this was, and they were going to put it down and clear Zack’s name. All in a good day’s work.

Although she did appreciate what Sam was doing, Rebecca couldn’t believe that someone she considered to be a good friend of hers would lie to her like that. “Well, look, Sam, just stop,” she instructed, giving her head a small shake as she leaned against her counter. “I really don’t need your help anymore.”

Again, Sam frowned at his friend’s words. “What are you talkin’ about?” Sam asked, giving his head a small shake as he watched the way Dean’s jeans slid down a little lower on his hips when he leaned into the trunk and started rummaging through the weapons bag. Dean definitely was a fine piece of work.

“I told the lawyers that we went to see the crime scene,” Rebecca explained, her anger rising, though she managed to keep it at bay. Getting mad at Sam wasn’t going to change anything. They could have just ruined her brother’s case and she’d been trying so hard to get him out of this mess. 

Sam scoffed as he gave his head a small shake. Dammit, this wasn’t going to be good. “Why would you do that?” he asked, shooting another glance at his brother who was looking at him worriedly now, having found what he was looking for in the trunk.

Angrily, Rebecca answered, “I told them we were with a police officer. And they checked it out, and they told me that there is no Detective Dean Winchester.” When Sam tried to interrupt her, Rebecca snapped, “No, I don’t understand why you would lie to me about something like that.”

Now Sam felt like a real asshole. He’d just wanted to help his friend, but he was starting to see that maybe it wasn’t an option. Maybe Dean was right and he couldn’t have friends and live this life. He could only count on the people who knew about the things that went bump in the night and the people he trusted – like Dean. “We’re tryin’ to help,” Sam explained softly.

This time, it was Rebecca’s turn to scoff. “Oh, trying to help?” she repeated, rolling her eyes although she knew Sam couldn’t see her. “Do you realize that that was a sealed crime scene? This could have just ruined Zack’s case.” When Sam tried to apologize again, Rebecca just couldn’t take it. “No, goodbye Sam!” she haughtily interrupted, hanging up on him. Sighing, she tossed the phone onto the counter and headed up the stairs. She needed a cool shower to calm herself down.

Seeing how miserable his brother looked, Dean moved towards him, frowning deeply. He didn’t like that Rebecca chick anyway – well, she was all right, but not if she was making his brother feel bad. Sam was only trying to help, dammit! “I hate to say it, but that’s exactly what I’m talkin’ about,” Dean mumbled softly, his eyes locking with Sam’s. “You lie to your friends because if they knew the real you, they’d be freaked. It’s just—it’d be easier if—”

Eyes locking on Dean’s, Sam finished, “If I was like you.” Yeah, he understood that now. This was the last time he tried to help one of his friends from Stanford. Sure, if their paths crossed someone that Sam knew one of these days, it would be different, but he wasn’t going to go out of his way to help them. They’d just have to deal with their own problems.

Quickly, Dean cupped the nape of his brother’s neck, fingers carding through Sam’s floppy mass of hair in an attempt to comfort the younger man. “Hey man, like it or not, we’re not like other people,” he assured his brother. Leaning in, he pressed their lips together, not caring who could see them. “But I’ll tell you one thing. This whole gig—it ain’t without its perks.” With his free hand, Dean held up a gun loaded with silver bullets, offering it to Sam with a wide smile. His brother took it from him and tucked it into his back pocket before they headed off towards the sewer.

In the sewer, Sam and Dean flashed their lights around the area, looking for any sign of the ‘shifter, their guns at the ready just in case. Seeing something on the wall beside his brother’s face, Dean muttered in a disgusted tone, “I think we’re close to its lair.”

Not paying attention to the walls around him, Sam frowned in confusion. “Why do you say that?” he asked, giving his head a small shake. If Dean knew something Sam didn’t, it was only fair that his brother share his information.

Dean pointed at the disgusting mess of blood and skin with his gun as he answered, “Because there’s another puke-inducing pile next to your face.” It was so hard not to laugh when Sam muttered in disgust, the older man shining his flashlight around the mass of his brother’s body to reveal a pile of clothing. “Look like it’s lived here for a while.”

“Who knows how many murders it’s gotten away with?” Sam added disgustedly. He wanted to put this thing down and not just to clear his friend’s name. This ‘shifter was hurting innocent people for some reason and Sam wanted it dead. Standing to his full height, Sam turned to say something to his brother only to see the ‘shifter standing behind Dean. “Dean!” Sam called out, his eyes widening when the thing lashed out at his brother, sending Dean falling into one of the pipes, his brother holding his shoulder. Quickly, Sam fired off a few shots, but he missed every time – his mind was on his brother’s health, not killing the ‘shifter.

Once the thing was out of sight, Sam moved to Dean, crouching next to him and cupping Dean’s face. However, Dean jerked his head out of Sam’s hands, grunting in pain when it caused his shoulder to jar. “Get the son of a bitch!” he ordered, pushing himself painfully to his feet and following after his brother. When they reached the manhole they crawled into and popped back into the streets, the ‘shifter was already gone. The people on the streets didn’t help matters either since the ‘shifter could be anyone if it shed its skin.

This was Sam’s fault, he knew that. If he hadn’t been so worried about Dean, maybe he could have hit the ‘shifter when he shot at him. “All right, let’s split up,” Sam instructed, knowing there was no other way to do this. Now, he just had to hope the thing hadn’t had time to change its appearance; otherwise, they were in big trouble.

Although he hated leaving Sam to search on his own, Dean knew that it was the best option they had right now. The longer they took to find it, the more time it had to shift. “All right, I’ll meet you on the other side,” he reluctantly agreed, moving towards the alley around back when he got the okay that his brother had heard the plan.

A few minutes later, Dean was meeting up with Sam. “Hey,” he greeted, his arms out wide. “Anything?” Sam had one of those sour pusses on his face, so Dean was assuming his search turned up about as much as Dean’s had, which was bupkiss. When Sam assured him that he was gone, Dean shook his head. “All right, let’s get back to the car,” Dean suggested, allowing Sam to cross the street without him as he waited for a car to pass. The headlights hit his face, causing his eyes to flash silver, revealing that he wasn’t actually Dean. Luckily, Sam didn’t seem to notice as Dean jogged after the younger man so he could catch up.

When he reached the car, Sam stopped, turning to face Dean. “Do you think he found another way underground?” Sam asked, frowning a bit as he watched his brother move. There was something off about it – Dean’s arm was hurt and he’d been holding it a certain way before they split up. There was no way it could be all better now. It’d need a little more time to heal. 

Nodding, the ‘shifter answered, “Yeah, probably. You got the keys?” The Impala was a thing of beauty and he could tell that it meant a lot to Dean. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on it – and Sam. There seemed to be only one thing in this world that his new body cared about more than this car, and that was his brother. Not that it could blame Dean – Sam had this innocence that was just…beautiful. This could be a man that the ‘shifter could see himself owning.

Something was definitely not right. Sam just didn’t think this was Dean for some reason. He knew his brother better than anyone, and the Dean he knew wouldn’t want to give up searching for the shapeshifter so easily. They’d be out there looking right now if this was Dean. Still, he figured there was a chance that maybe he was just being paranoid, so he attempted to quiz his brother. “Hey, didn’t Dad once face a shapeshifter in San Antonio?” he asked, turning to face Dean.

It was cute that Sam was asking his questions like this. Possibly thinking that maybe he wasn’t Dean. But he could download memories, so this was a piece of cake. “Oh, that was Austin,” he answered with a small smile. “It turned out not to be a shapeshifter, it was a thought form. A psychic projection, remember?”

Okay, so maybe this was Dean. But there was still something in the back of Sam’s head warning him to stay away. “Oh, right,” he answered with a small chuckle. “Here you go.” Tossing Dean the keys, Sam headed towards the front seat on the Impala where he pulled his gun out. He was going on faith here, but Dean would understand if it was really him. Hell, he’d probably be proud of Sam for using his head. “Don’t move!” Sam ordered, pointing the gun at Dean. “What have you done with him?”

Well, apparently, Sam was going to be a little tougher to fool than any of the other loved ones he’d come into contact with. Not that the ‘shifter was surprised about that. Sam was a hunter after all. “Dude, chill,” he ordered. “It’s me, all right?”

Shaking his head, Sam explained, “No, I don’t think so. Where’s my brother?”

Amusement was starting to bubble over into anger as the ‘shifter couldn’t get Sam to listen to him. “You’re about to shoot him,” he explained, pointing at the gun. “Sam, calm down.”

No, there was no way Sam would shoot his brother. He wasn’t going to pull this trigger until he was completely sure that Dean wasn’t here with him. “You caught those keys with your left,” he reminded. “Your shoulder was hurt.”

After everything, it was going to be an injury that gave him away? No, he wasn’t going to let Sam shoot him over something so stupid. “Yeah, it’s better,” he explained with a small shrug. “What do you want me to do, cry?” he asked, adding just the right amount of snark to the comment.

Still, it didn’t get him what he wanted – Sam wasn’t convinced. “You’re not my brother,” he assured the ‘shifter with a shake of his head, still holding the gun trained on the thing’s heart. He wasn’t one hundred percent sure yet either though, so he wasn’t pulling the trigger just yet.

This was going to be the moment of truth. Sam could either shoot him before he made his move, or the ‘shifter was going to get the best of him. “Why don’t you pull the trigger then?” he asked, relaxing his stance a little. “Hm? ‘Cause you’re not sure. Dude, you know me.”

“Don’t,” Sam warned, taking a few seconds to decide what he wanted to do. If he shot and it wasn’t the ‘shifter, he would have just killed his brother, and he wouldn’t be able to live with himself after that. Unfortunately, while he was taking his moments to decide, the ‘shifter made his move, grabbing a crowbar from the trunk and hitting Sam with it. When Sam fell to the ground, the ‘shifter shook his head – this wasn’t how he’d wanted this to go.

**~~**

He woke to find himself in a dingy, dusty room with his hands bound behind his back, and his neck bound, keeping him against a wooden post. The ‘shifter walked towards him, backhanding him without a word, causing Sam to groan in both pain and annoyance. “Where is he? Where’s Dean?” Sam asked, fear clutching at his heart that the thing may have hurt his brother. 

Shaking his head with a small chuckle, the ‘shifter assured Sam, “I wouldn’t worry about him. I’d worry about you.” Another smile came to his lips when Sam asked where his brother was again. That was cute. Obviously, Sam felt very deeply for Dean, and he knew the feelings were mutual. “You don’t really wanna know,” he answered with another chuckle. “I swear, the more I learn about you and your family—I thought I came from a bad background.”

Learn? What the hell? Now Sam was intrigued. If he was going to be stuck here with this thing, he might as well try to get some answers. “What do you mean learn?” he asked, frowning more deeply when the ‘shifter held its head as though it were in pain and grimaced. When the ‘shifter’s eyes opened again, he glared at Sam.

Again, the ‘shifter shook his head. “He’s sure got issues with you,” he enlightened the younger Winchester. “You got to go to college. He had to stay home. I mean, I had to stay home. With Dad. You don’t think I had dreams of my own. But Dad needed me. Where the hell were you?”

Sam didn’t have to listen to this. The ‘shifter didn’t know shit about him, his brother, or his father. And he sure as hell had no idea how Dean felt about him. “Where is my brother?” Sam asked again, feeling like a broken record, but not really caring. Sooner or later, the ‘shifter would have to give it up.

This time, the ‘shifter pressed his palms against each side of Sam’s hips, leaning in close. “I am your brother,” he hissed. “See, deep down, I’m just jealous. You got friends. You could have a life. Me? I know I’m a freak. And sooner or later, everybody’s gonna leave me.” Slowly, he backed away, keeping his eyes on Sam for a moment before he turned towards one of the tables in the room.

It was obvious that his brother had abandonment issues, but Dean knew Sam wasn’t going to leave him. Not again. They’d admitted their feelings for each other and they were in this for the long haul – together forever. They’d said that. “What are you talkin’ about?” he asked, giving his head a small shake.

“You left,” the ‘shifter explained, turning to face Sam once more. “Hell, I did everything Dad asked me to, and he ditched me, too. No explanation, nothin’, just poof. Let me with your sorry ass. But still, this life? It’s not without its perks.” Laughing, the ‘shifter leaned back and added, “I meet the nicest people. Like little Becky. You know, Dean’s jealous that you wanted to come here and help her out. He hates that you have friends outside of him. Hell, I’m sure deep down, Dean wants to rip her throat out. Let’s see what happens.” 

The last thing Sam saw before he was covered with a sheet was the ‘shifter wearing his brother’s face and smirking darkly. That wasn’t a look that he would ever see on Dean’s face, and quite honestly, it scared him a little. He needed to find Dean. As soon as he found Dean, everything would be all right – he knew it would be because Dean could fix this.

**~~**

Sam needed to get out of here. There was no doubt in his mind about that. He didn’t think that Rebecca was really in danger because she probably wouldn’t let Dean into her house – she was pissed at them, after all. Still, Dean was hot, and all he had to do was use his charm and Rebecca might melt just like Sam did. However, getting out of his bindings was proving to be damn near impossible as he tried once more and failed. “Damn it,” he groaned, his body tensing when he heard movement from the other side of the room, and then someone coughing.

Finally, Dean had come to after the ‘shifter had knocked him out. The thing hit him harder than Dean thought was possible. Then again, it had supernatural strength so he didn’t know why he was so surprised. “That better be you Sam, and not that freak of nature,” Dean spat, smirking when he heard his brother laugh.

Oh God, hearing Dean’s voice was enough to make Sam cry at this point. “Yeah, it’s me,” he assured the older man with a small nod, though he knew Dean couldn’t see him. “He went to Rebecca’s, lookin’ like you.”

Although Dean thought Sam was one decent looking man – hot, in fact – he couldn’t call himself Sam’s older brother and not make fun of him when the chance presented itself. “Well, he’s not stupid,” Dean smirked, turning his head as much as he could towards his brother. “He picked the handsome one.”

At Dean’s remark, Sam merely gave the wall a confused look before he rolled his eyes, going back to work on his ropes. “Yeah, that’s the thing,” he explained as he tried to break his hands free. “He didn’t just look like you. He _was_ you. Or, he was becoming you.”

Meanwhile, Dean had worked himself out of his own ropes finally, shoving the things off himself and getting to his feet. “What do you mean?” he asked, moving towards his brother so he could help him out.

“I don’t know,” Sam explained with a shake of his head. “It was like he was downloading your thoughts and memories.” And some of the things it had said to Sam, he wished that he could forget. He knew he’d fucked up when he left Dean, but he hadn’t known he’d hurt him so badly.

Well, that wasn’t creepy or anything. Dean had never really been the victim of a ‘shifter before, so he didn’t know how they worked. Honestly, he was beginning to wish he never would have come here. “You mean, like the Vulcan mind meld?” he asked, starting to tug at Sam’s ropes. The kid had only managed to make them tighter, which caused Dean to frown. He needed to teach Sam how to get out of these things when they had time.

Nodding, Sam answered, “Yeah, somethin’ like that. I mean, maybe that’s why he doesn’t just kill us.” And that right there was a scary thought. He wondered how long this thing had kept others tied up in his lair so he could parade around with their face.

As Dean continued to work Sam’s ropes open, Dean added, “Maybe he needs to keep us alive. Psychic connection.” That was the only thing Dean could think of. After all, most supernatural creatures would have killed him if they’d had him tied up in their lair. Not this one, though – there had to be a reason for that.

Now that Dean was close enough to him that Sam could feel the heat coming off his body, Sam could finally breathe again. He’d been so worried that something bad had happened to his brother. “Hands,” he instructed, holding still while Dean worked on getting him untied. “Yeah. Come on, we gotta go. He’s probably already at Rebecca’s.”

Once Sam was out of his ropes, they made their way to an exit, Dean shoving open a window and crawling into the street, helping Sam get out after him. “Come on,” Sam explained, already moving out of the alley. “We gotta find a phone, call the police.”

That wasn’t what Dean had been planning on doing. They could go to Rebecca’s and kill the ‘shifter without the police getting involved. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,” Dean halted. “You’re gonna put an APB out on me.”

This was their only option. There was no way they could get to Rebecca’s fast enough without the Impala and if they didn’t call in the police, Rebecca could die. Sam knew his brother would understand. Shrugging, he apologized, “Sorry.”

Just as he knew he would, Dean dropped it, heading off towards the end of the alley. “This way,” he instructed, not caring anymore that the police were going to want him for attempted murder. Sam was right – his friend’s life was in danger, and they needed to fix it. After all, Rebecca was only in the ‘shifter’s line of sight because of them.

**~~**

About twenty minutes after they put out the APB, Sam and Dean stood in front of a store window, watching the news. The woman on the screen reported, “An anonymous tip led police to a home in the Central West End, where a S.W.A.T. team discovered a local woman bound and gagged. Her attacked, a white male, approximately twenty-four to thirty years of age, was discovered hiding in her home.”

When the police sketch of Dean came on the screen, Sam looked around cautiously, hoping no one was looking at them. The last thing they needed was for this plan to backfire on them. “Man!” Dean complained beside him, acting like a petulant child. “That’s not even a good picture.”

If the situation were any different, Sam would have rolled his eyes. With everything that was going on, Dean was worried about the police sketch not being a good picture. That was rich. “It’s good enough,” Sam assured the older man, walking away. If they stood here any longer, they ran the risk of someone noticing who they were.

Again, Dean mumbled, “Man!” He followed Sam into another alley where they would be safe from prying eyes and stepped into a puddle, causing him to curse softly. This was turning out to not be his day.

“Come on,” Sam instructed, pausing for a moment to see where they were. “They said attempted murder. At least we know—”

Angrily, Dean interrupted, “I didn’t kill her!” At least that was some good news. It meant he wouldn’t be put away for life, possibly. Attempted murder was better than murder.

He knew this was hard on his brother, but Sam was just trying to be smart about this. “We’ll check with Rebecca in the morning, see if she’s all right,” he explained, giving his brother a small, reassuring smile.

Dean didn’t even seem to notice it though as he started walking again, not caring if Sam was following him. “All right, but first, I wanna find that handsome devil and kick the holy crap out of him.”

Again, they stopped walking, Sam grabbing his brother’s arm to make sure he didn’t head on down the alley further without him. “We have no weapons,” Sam reminded gently. “No silver bullets.” The ‘shifter had stolen the Impala, which meant they had nothing but their bare hands to work with.

Okay, Dean could appreciate that they didn’t have weapons and no way of killing the thing, but he didn’t care if he was being quite honest. “Sam, the guy’s walking around with my face,” he reminded his little brother. “It’s a little personal; I wanna find him.”

Sure, Sam could understand where Dean was coming from, but that didn’t mean going after him with no weapons was a good idea. And Dean knew that, Sam was sure of it, but he had to get past the rage. “Okay. Where do we look?” he asked, trying to appeal to his brother’s whims.

Glad that he and Sam seemed to be on the same page again, Dean suggested, “Well, we could start with the sewers.” They’d found him there once before, so Dean figured he probably went back after being interrupted by the police.

It was a good theory, but Sam needed to remind Dean of the obvious again. “We have no weapons,” he repeated. “He stole our guns, we need more.” Taking a moment to think, Sam’s eyes locked on Dean’s, a plan forming in his mind. “The car?”

Now they were talking. “I’m bettin’ he drove over to Rebecca’s.” Dean knew if it had been him, he would have taken the Impala over walking. And this thing was trying to be him, so he probably had the car.

“The news said he fled on foot,” Sam reminded with a small smile on his lips. “I bet it’s still parked there.” Finally, things were turning around for them. If they could get to their weapons, everything would be fine. This thing would die once and for all.

However, Dean seemed to become even more upset about something. “The thought of him drivin’ my car,” Dean muttered, shaking his head angrily. He listened though when Sam insisted that they start moving, following after Sam even as he shook his head. “It’s killin’ me.”

While Sam could appreciate his brother’s love for his vehicle, they had more important things to worry about right now. Like killing the asshole who’d stolen his brother’s identity and turned him into a wanted attempted murderer. “Let it go,” Sam ordered, leading the way to Rebecca’s house.

When they made it to Rebecca’s, the Impala was parked safely outside. “Oh, there she is!” Dean remarked happily. “Finally, something went right tonight.” As though he just jinxed them, a police car appeared and parked next to the car. “Oh crap.” They turned around to head away from Rebecca’s house, but another police car is parked a few yards away. Swatting Sam’s elbow, Dean instructed, “This way, this way.” 

Quickly, they moved towards a fence, but the officers had spotted them. “You go, I’ll hold ‘em off,” Sam instructed, his knowledge of law helping him a great deal right now. There was no way they’d seen Dean’s face at the distance they had been, so for all they knew, Sam had been coming this way with someone else. They didn’t have to know any differently.

Dean didn’t move. He wasn’t going to leave Sam here to get caught. “What are you talking about?” Dean hissed, his eyes locked on Sam. “They’ll catch you.” Sometimes, his brother could really be an idiot.

Anger was rising in Sam’s body as he feared Dean wasn’t going to go and they were going to get caught. “Look, they can’t hold me!” Sam explained. “Just go, keep out of sight. Meet me at Rebecca’s.” His whole body visibly relaxed as Dean climbed the fence. “Dean,” he hissed, forcing his brother to stop and look at him. “Stay out of the sewers alone.” He heard his brother grumble, but he couldn’t make out what he was saying. “I mean it!”

Just before the police officers closed in on him, Sam heard Dean agree that he’d stay out of the sewers alone. Somewhere inside him though, Sam knew that his brother was lying even as he raised his hands in the air, surrendering to the police officers.

Sure enough, a few hours later once he’d made sure the police weren’t guarding the place anymore, Dean returned to the car, rummaging through the trunk and getting some weapons. “I’m sorry, Sam,” he muttered to the air. “But you know me—I just can’t wait.” Closing the trunk, Dean walked away, heading into the sewers in search of the bastard who had ruined his night.

There was a chamber filled with candles and chains there that Dean found, revolting piles of skin and blood decorating the floor, letting Dean know he was in the right place. Across the room, he heard a noise, Dean quickly moving to the other side of the room, gun at the ready. There was a large figure covered with a sheet, and Dean removed it, his eyes widening when he saw Rebecca, her hands and feet bound with rope. “Rebecca?” he asked, frowning at the woman.

**~~**

Meanwhile, Sam was at Rebecca’s, having a beer and explaining the whole situation as to what was going on here. He didn’t want Rebecca thinking that the thing that had attacked her was Dean; he had to clear his brother’s name so to speak. Unfortunately, he had no idea that this was the ‘shifter and not his friend.

“So, say this shapeshifter is real,” the ‘shifter started, leaning a little closer to Sam before she continued, “By the way, you know you’re crazy? But, um, say it is real. How do you stop it?” She replaced Sam’s beer bottle with a new one, realizing that it was empty. Perfect to use as a weapon.

Glancing back at his friend, Sam smiled. “Thanks.” Sighing, he answered, “Silver bullet to the heart.” He took a sip f his new beer as she chuckled, Sam not paying attention to her. After all, as far as he knew, the ‘shifter was still wearing his brother’s skin.

Now that she knew what Sam did, the ‘shifter chuckled. “You are crazy,” she assured Sam before she hit him over the head with the empty bottle. He fell over immediately, unconscious as Rebecca’s eyes flashed silver.

**~~**

Dean was quick to work open the ropes, getting Rebecca untied. “What happened?” he asked, demanding to know what the hell was going on. His brother was in danger, and that was not all right. Not at all.

Tears slid down Rebecca’s cheeks as she explained, “I was walking home, and everything just went white. Someone hit me over the head, and I wound up here just in time to see that thing turn into me. I don’t know, how is that even possible?”

It was obvious that the woman was about to have a panic attack, and Dean just didn’t have time for that right now. “Okay, okay,” he started, calming her down. “It’s okay. Come on. Can you walk?” When she nodded, Dean returned the gesture, helping her to her feet. “Okay, we’ve gotta hurry. Sam went to see you.”

**~~**

When Sam woke again, the ‘shifter had taken his brother’s skin once more, the thing grunting softly as he finished tying Sam’s feet together. Dammit, Sam hated it when he was bound. This was really going to hinder his ability to fight. “What are you gonna do to me?” Sam asked, his eyes locked on his brother’s form.

Seeing that Sam was awake, the ‘shifter shook his head, examining a knife that he found in the kitchen. “Oh, I’m not gonna do anything,” he assured Sam before he turned his attention to Sam. “Dean will, though.”

He knew that having to watch Dean’s face as he was tortured was going to take its toll on him, but Sam would remember this wasn’t his brother. “They’ll never catch him,” Sam gloated, knowing his brother would outrun the police easily. Their father had taught them well. 

Although he kind of did want Dean to get caught and thrown behind bars for a long time, he didn’t really matter all that much. “Oh, doesn’t matter,” the ‘shifter answered. “Murder in the first of his own brother? He’ll be hunted for the rest of his life.” And somehow, that made everything better. But the ‘shifter was just talking a big game. He had no intention of killing Sam. He wanted to _own_ the younger man. Dean couldn’t have Sam back. Not without a fight. The ‘shifter was going to make Sam want him, too.

Slowly, he moved into the living room, crouching over Sam. “I’m going to make Dean wish he’d never fucked with me. Make you both wish that you’d just left me the hell alone. I was only trying to find someone to love me, dammit!” Angrily, he gripped Sam’s cheeks, forcing the younger man’s head off the floor and closer to him. “But you coming here may have gotten me just that, Sammy.” 

A deep frown came to Sam’s lips at the ‘shifter’s words, the younger man grunting when his cheeks were grabbed. “What are you talkin’ about?” he asked, brows knit in confusion. How had Sam helped this thing find someone to love him? It was a killer, for God’s sake.

Without answering, the ‘shifter crushed his lips against Sam’s, forcing his tongue past Sam’s lips and teeth as he held him in place. Unfortunately, Sam didn’t react the way he wanted him to, instead, bringing his knees up and allowing them to connect with the ‘shifter’s groin. And holy fuck did that hurt! Angrily, he released Sam, backhanding the younger man once more.

“Don’t act like you don’t fucking want this, Sam!” he growled, fingers fisting in Sam’s hair and pulling his head back roughly. “You’re fine with committing incest! I can be a better Dean for you, Sam! The both of you – you live against society, just like me! You’re different – like me!” Nodding, he released his grip a little, stroking the side of Sam’s face. “You can love me.”

It was almost laughable that this thing thought Sam would willingly be with him. There was nothing in this world that he wanted more than to kill this piece of scum and be back in Dean’s arms. “I’ll never love you,” Sam assured the ‘shifter, pulling his face away from its hands. 

Anger bloomed through his body when Sam rejected him, the ‘shifter frowning deeply. “We’ll see about that, Sammy,” he promised, his hands wrapping around Sam’s throat, choking him. He didn’t let go until Sam stopped struggling, signaling that the younger man was unconscious. “You’ll love me Sam, because I can be a better lover than Dean ever could,” he promised the sleeping Winchester before he lifted him over his shoulder and headed out into the dark.


	3. Chapter 3

Gone. The shapeshifter was gone, and from the looks of things, he’d taken Sam with him. But Dean wasn’t willing to believe that. He hadn’t just lost his brother to a shapeshifter. No way in Hell could that be true. “Sam!” Dean yelled as he jogged out of Rebecca’s parents’ room where he’d been searching for his brother. “Sammy!” he continued to shout, frantically searching through every room in the house, ransacking the place in his wake. But his brother was nowhere to be found. 

He had to get out of here. If the thing took Sam, then he needed to go after it. They couldn’t have too much of a head start, right? Dean had gotten here about two and a half hours after Sam. The ‘shifter wouldn’t have struck right away either; the thing liked to play games, and he was sure that it would have led Sam to believe that it was Rebecca for a little while before it revealed its true self. “I have to go,” Dean explained, pushing past Rebecca when she tried to stop him, the woman yelling after him and demanding him to explain. Dean ignored her as he climbed into the Impala, speeding off down the road. Right now, all he cared about was finding his brother.

Unfortunately, he had no idea where to start. Dean Winchester wasn’t an idiot; he knew when he needed help, and now was one of those times. Although they’d tried to get in touch with their father several times, Dean figured now was as good as any to try again. After all, this was a serious matter; Sam was missing – kidnapped by a shapeshifter wearing Dean’s face, more than likely – and they needed to get him back! Taking a leap of faith, Dean dialed the familiar number, fingers tapping the steering wheel as he waited for the machine to sound.

Much to his surprise, John answered, the older hunter’s haggard voice gruffly greeting his eldest son. Dean felt like all of the air had been stripped from his lungs when John answered, the younger Winchester almost forgetting what he even called for. “Dad, we have a problem,” he finally explained, biting into his bottom lip. “Sammy and I were huntin’ a shapeshifter in St. Louis, Missouri and it got the best of us somehow. The thing has Sam, Dad.” He could practically feel his father’s heated gaze on him, silently screaming at him that he was a failure. Dean had one job and that was to take care of Sammy, and he couldn’t even do that right. 

“What do you mean it has Sam, Dean?” John finally asked, his voice barely holding back the anger he wanted to unleash. It wasn’t like he was dumb, he just needed time to process this. If the shapeshifter had Sam, there was a chance they were never going to get him back. Hell, John didn’t even know the situation or why a shapeshifter would want to kidnap a hunter, but he was going to find out.

Although he didn’t usually get mouthy with his father, Dean couldn’t help himself as he snapped, “I mean exactly what I said Dad; the shapeshifter kidnapped Sam!” Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Dean added, “I’m heading to the Roadhouse right now. We need all the help we can get finding Sam. And I’m going to call Bobby and have him meet us there too. He’s really good at research and if there’s anyone who can track this thing, it’s you, Dad.”

John wanted to be there for Dean, and he wanted to find Sam, but he was right in the middle of a hunt, and he couldn’t just stop. He was so close to finding the thing that killed Mary, and there was no way he was stopping – not even for Sam. “Dean, you can handle this on your own,” John assured him, having complete confidence in his son. He’d taught Dean everything he knew, so there was no reason the kid couldn’t track this ‘shifter on his own.

For a minute, Dean thought that he may have heard his father wrong, but he knew that he hadn’t. John was seriously trying to justify not coming out of his fucking hiding place so they could find Sam?! Dean wasn’t going to allow that to happen. “What did you just tell me?” he asked, his anger getting the best of him. “Don’t tell me I can handle this on my own. This is _Sam_ , dammit! Now, I’m going to be at the Roadhouse in six and a half hours, and I expect you to be there.” When John tried to interrupt him, Dean just spoke louder. “No, you listen, Dad! This is _Sam_!” he repeated. “This is your son; my brother! And there’s nothing out there more important than finding him! Not even the fucking demon that killed mom because she’s gone, and she’s not coming back! Sammy’s still alive, and you’re going to help me find him!”

He didn’t give his father a chance to argue with him before he flipped the phone shut and tossed it against the passenger seat. Dean couldn’t believe that he’d spoken to his father like that, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Sam was gone and they needed to find him and bring him back before the ‘shifter did something that couldn’t be fixed. If John didn’t show up and something happened to Sam, Dean would never forgive the older man.

**~~**

Just as he’d said he would, Dean arrived at the Roadhouse in about six hours, smiling softly at Ellen when she came out to greet him. “You look like you could use a beer,” she smiled back, her arm wrapping around Dean’s shoulders before she led him into the bar. “Yer Daddy called me,” she explained as he opened a bottle for Dean. “He said he’s on his way and he’ll be here by nightfall.”

At least Dean was getting some good news in all of this. Having John here was going to make him feel a lot better. “And Bobby?” he asked, looking around the bar and not seeing the older hunter. Even if Dean couldn’t always count on his own father, Bobby was always there for him. It was actually sad – growing up, Bobby had been more of a father to him and Sam than John had. Dean would never forget that.

Nodding, Ellen answered, “He called too. He’s on his way. Bobby’ll be here before your dad, though. He’s a lot closer.” The last she’d heard, John was off somewhere in California hunting the thing that had been responsible for Mary’s death, so it was no surprise that it was taking him so long to get there. And from what she could tell from her brief conversation with him on the phone, he and Dean weren’t in the best of standings right now. Something must have happened to make John pissed off at his eldest son, but Ellen wasn’t going to ask. It was none of her business really.

As long as John got here, Dean didn’t care if it took him a little longer than it had taken Dean himself. Right now, he was fine with just drinking his beer and waiting for the rest of the crew to get there. He’d called Sam’s cell phone ten thousand times already and there was no answer, so he figured that was a dead-end street. There was no use doing that again. But he would be damned if he was going to give up. Sam was all that mattered right now, and there was nothing that was going to sway his mind on that.

**~~**

This time when Sam woke, he realized that he was no longer at Rebecca’s. Honestly, he had no idea where he was, but he couldn’t remember how he got here, so that was never a good sign. “D’n?” Sam slurred, his head flopping to the opposite side of his chest. God, he was so fucking weak. And his neck hurt, like something had been choking the life out of him. But Sam couldn’t remember anything! The last thing he remembered was going over to Rebecca’s house to make sure that she was okay after the ‘shifter had tried to carve her up and make her his next victim.

Sam didn’t like this. Whenever something happened and he couldn’t remember exactly what it was, odds were that it was something so horrible that his mind had blocked it out. This had happened to him right after Jessica had died. He’d gone to sleep in the Impala and when he woke up outside of a motel room with his brother in the driver’s seat right next to him, Sam didn’t even remember leaving Stanford. He was just hoping that nothing like that had happened this time. He didn’t want to have to bury another one of his friends. 

“D’n?!” Sam called out again, this time a little louder, causing a fit of coughing to overtake him. He didn’t understand why Dean wasn’t answering him unless he wasn’t here. And if that was the case, then Sam was in more trouble than he had originally thought. Sam just wanted to be able to remember everything. Dammit, why couldn’t he remember?!

When the coughing finally stopped, Sam drew in a stuttering breath, his eyes darting about the room. He jumped slightly when a hand landed on his shoulder before he realized that it was his brother, Sam instantly relaxing when he saw those warm green eyes staring down at him. “Hey, shh, s’okay Sammy, m’right here,” Dean whispered softly, climbing into the bed with the younger man. “You gotta calm down – you’re gonna get yourself all worked up and pass out again.”

Reaching over to the nightstand, Dean grabbed a bag from a nearby diner, offering it to Sam. “Here’s dinner. It’s your favorite. Eat up, baby. We have a long drive ahead of us.” As his brother slowly dug into the food, Dean stroked his fingers through Sam’s hair, smiling at the younger man. God, he was beautiful. Sam Winchester was possibly the most beautiful human being that he had ever laid eyes on. He’d known he’d picked a good one when Sam came along. This was the one – Sam Winchester was the one he was going to spend the rest of his life with.

Before Sam could take another bite of the food, Dean leaned in and crushed their lips together, his fingers fisting in Sam’s hair that he had been stroking lovingly moments earlier. Quickly, he took the food off Sam’s lap with his free hand and placed it gently on the floor, unable to resist this opportunity to be with the younger man. He knew that it was real soon, but he wanted to be inside this man’s tight heat – didn’t want any space between them for days to come. And he usually got what he wanted.

As the kiss continued, Sam realized that something was off. Dean was…different. There was something about the way he was kissing him – the way he was touching him that was just _off_. Gently, Sam pressed his hand against his brother’s chest, pushing against him to make the older man get off of him. When Dean didn’t take the hint and let him go, Sam knew there was something wrong. And then as if the flood gates opened, he remembered everything – the ‘shifter using Rebecca’s form to attack him before shifting into Dean once more and tying him up; the way the ‘shifter had assured him that he was going to fall in love with him. 

That’s what this was about. This thing was trying to make Sam believe that he was Dean because he knew there was no chance that Sam would ever love him unless he was wearing his brother’s skin. Angrily, Sam fought harder, shoving at the ‘shifter’s chest and hitting him with his fists. “Get off me!” Sam shouted when he finally managed to wrench his lips away from the other man’s. “Get away from me, you sick fuck!”

A deep frown came to the ‘shifter’s lips when Sam demanded that he get off him. He’d thought that they’d been having a moment, but apparently, Sam remembered everything now and he was still a little confused about his feelings. “Sammy, what’s wrong?” the ‘shifter asked, still trying to make the younger Winchester believe that he was Dean. Really, he didn’t think it would work – it hadn’t the first time – but he was going to try.

Anger rose inside Sam when he realized the ‘shifter was going to try and lie about this. Sam wasn’t an idiot; he knew this wasn’t his brother. “Don’t!” Sam ordered, shoving at the ‘shifter harder. “Don’t pretend that you’re him because I know it’s a lie!” Sam knew Dean better than anyone, and he knew this wasn’t his brother. Any other person probably wouldn’t have seen the differences, but Sam had spent his whole life paying attention to Dean, so he spotted them. Not to mention that his smell was all wrong. This wasn’t Dean, and Sam was sure of it.

He knew that it was pointless to lie, so the ‘shifter dropped it, smirking slightly at Sam. “What gave me away this time?” he asked, his fingers running through Sam’s hair once more. He frowned deeply when Sam jerked his head away, not liking that the younger man still thought he had a choice in all of this. Sam belonged to him, and there was nothing he could do about it. Obviously, the ‘shifter needed to be a little clearer about that.

“I know my brother better than anyone,” Sam answered honestly. “And you’re not him. There are so many things about you that give you away.” Sam grunted in pain when the ‘shifter grabbed his hair in his fist and forced Sam’s head back, exposing the younger man’s long neck. Again, he groaned when the ‘shifter latched onto his skin, though Sam couldn’t do anything about it. 

However, as soon as the ‘shifter released him, Sam made his move. His knee came up to slam into the ‘shifter’s crotch, causing the other man to roll off him, clutching his groin in pain. That gave Sam the perfect opportunity to run, sliding off the bed and bolt to the door. It was locked, so it took Sam a little longer than he would have liked to swing the door open and sprint from the room.

Just as he thought that he was going to get free, he was slammed bodily to the ground, the ‘shifter pinning him there with his body. “You fucking bitch,” he spat in Sam’s ear, knocking Sam’s forehead into the ground before yanking his neck back once more. “Let me tell you how this is going to work, Sammy. You’re _mine_ now. You do not try to get away from me.” Feeling Sam continue to struggle underneath him, the ‘shifter gripped his hair tighter before he hissed harshly, “Or maybe we should pay a visit to Charlie.”

 _Charlie_. Sam knew that name from somewhere. His brain was all fuzzy right now though because of the abuse he’d been through, so he couldn’t think of it, but he knew that he’d heard it before. Where the hell had he heard that name before?!

Now that Sam had stopped struggling, the ‘shifter smiled, petting Sam’s hair a little. “Yeah, you remember her, don’t you?” he asked, smirking now that he’d found a weak spot for Sam – something he could use against the younger man to get what he wanted. “You and Dean saved her life in Toledo; you remember? I know _exactly_ who she is and where she is. If you don’t behave yourself Sammy, you and I are going to take a road trip.” Pulling Sam’s head back a little more, the ‘shifter pressed his lips to the juncture where Sam’s ear met his neck and promised, “I can guarantee that she won’t make it out of this visit alive, Sam.”

Of course; now he remembered. They’d saved her from Bloody Mary back in Ohio. And now this thing was threatening to kill her is Sam didn’t behave. Honestly, he wished that he could know for sure that the ‘shifter was lying, but he knew he couldn’t chance it. This thing had already proved that he was capable of taking Sam down on more than one occasion. So, Sam was going to play nice – for now. “O-Okay,” Sam muttered, nodding as much as he could with the way his head was being held. “Okay. I’ll behave. Please…just don’t hurt anyone.”

Another smile came to the ‘shifter’s lips as he pushed himself off the ground, dragging Sam up with him. Roughly, he crushed their lips together, forcing Sam to open his mouth for him so he could plunge his tongue inside and taste the younger man. “There’s my good boy,” he whispered when he broke the kiss, smirking once more as he jerked Sam’s arm, pulling him back towards the motel room. He made sure to lock the door behind him before he shoved Sam face first onto the bed, quickly straddling the younger man’s waist so he couldn’t get up.

When Sam was pushed face first onto the bed and pinned, he started to panic. There was no telling what this thing wanted from him, and Sam would sooner die than be forced into anything with the ‘shifter. “What are you doing?!” he demanded, his head turning to the side so he could see the ‘shifter’s profile. “Don’t! Get off me!”

Something was really going to need done about the way Sam was disobeying him. Disobedience pissed him off more than he could explain and he wasn’t about to let Sam get away with it. But for now, he was going to have to let it slide. They needed to get moving otherwise they weren’t going to make their next destination, and that wasn’t acceptable at all. Pulling out a syringe full of tranquilizers that he’d acquired while wearing the face of a handsome doctor, the ‘shifter pressed the syringe into Sam’s neck, expelling the contents of the syringe into Sam’s system. “This is for your own good, baby,” he assured Sam, petting the younger man’s head once more when he passed out. “You’ll see that I’m only doing this because I love you. Way more than he ever could – you’ll see.”

**~~**

It took an extra four hours, but John finally made it to the Roadhouse, frowning at his son as he climbed out of his truck. He couldn’t believe that he actually had to leave his current hunt so he could come here and do work that Dean was capable of doing on his own. John had taught the younger man everything he knew, so there was no need for him to be here. Dean was a grown man now and he didn’t need his daddy coming to his rescue all of the time. “Dean,” he greeted, sliding into one of the stools next to the bar and signaling to Jo that he’d like a beer.

The younger Winchester merely nodded in greeting, taking another swig of his beer. He was waiting on other people to join the circle and he wasn’t in the mood to argue with his father right now. That last phone call had gotten heated – Dean had said some things that he never would have said had he not been so worried about Sam, and Dean wasn’t ready to apologize for it. Just the thought that John hadn’t wanted to come help him find Sam made his blood boil. This was their family – and in case John hadn’t realized it, they didn’t have much of that left these days. 

Once the last member of the group arrived, a woman whom John had called in because he trusted her – Missouri – Dean was finally ready to talk to his father. “So, tell me what happened,” John instructed, leaning back in his seat and waiting for the debriefing. He knew that there had to be a damn good reason this happened, and he was all ears. After all, he’d taught his sons to never split up on a hunt unless it was absolutely necessary. It was always better to stay together because then at least someone had your back.

Before he could answer, Dean had to down the rest of his beer, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he fixed his father’s gaze with one of his own. “Sammy and I were heading to Bisbee to take care of a simple salt and burn when he got an e-mail from a friend of his who he was still in contact with from school. Something happened to her brother and Sam insisted that we go there and check it out. Well, when we got there, it turned out to be a ‘shifter. It would take the form of a boyfriend and beat the guy’s girlfriend to death before it disappeared, leaving the guy to take the fall for its crime.

Well, it got the best of me and then used my face to get to Sam too. After it had us tied up in its lair, or whatever, it took off after Sam’s friend. So, we put out an APB on _me_ and when we went to get the Impala, we got split up because the cops came and Sammy told me to get out of there. So, while Sam went to see if Rebecca was all right, I went into the sewers to try to find the sonuvabitch, but instead I found Rebecca.” Sighing, Dean ran a hand over his face, rubbing the back of his head before he concluded, “By the time I got to her house, the ‘shifter was gone…and so was Sammy.”

Anyone could see that Dean felt responsible for his brother’s kidnapping, but John knew better. There hadn’t really been anything Dean could have done – he and Sam had done exactly what John would have. In order to save Sam’s friend’s life, they’d potentially sacrificed Dean’s freedom, which is what hunting was all about – making sacrifices. Laying a heavy hand on Dean’s shoulder, John explained, “You listen to me, Dean – this wasn’t your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong here. And we’re going to find Sam. He’s gonna be fine.”

“I was supposed to look out for him,” Dean explained, fighting back tears. “This never should have happened. I should have been watching him!” He wasn’t an idiot. He knew that Sam didn’t need a babysitter, but he still felt responsible. If he had been there, this wouldn’t have happened. Now, Sam was God only knew where with a raging psychopath – and that was the best case scenario. Dean didn’t even want to think about the worst case scenario.

Hearing Dean’s words, John felt a pang of guilt shoot through his body. He’d always drilled it into his eldest son’s head that he needed to look out for his brother and now Dean was beating himself up over the fact that he hadn’t been watching out for Sam. Dean didn’t even take into consideration that Sam was a grown man and he could look out for himself. Nope – it was just that he hadn’t been doing his job. John definitely blamed himself for that.

John was about tell Dean that this wasn’t his fault again in hopes that it would make his son realize that he hadn’t done anything wrong, but Dean’s phone started going off before he could get a word out. Sliding out of his seat, he grabbed his and Dean’s empty beer bottles and headed towards the bar to get them both a refill. Well, he definitely needed a refill anyway – he was going to ask Ellen how much his son had already consumed before he got Dean another one. The last thing he needed was Dean turning into an alcoholic right now.

A deep frown marred his features when his phone started going off. Dean couldn’t even remember where he’d put the damn thing. Reaching into each of his pockets, Dean finally found it in his leather jacket that he’d swung over the back of the chair, frowning at the caller ID. It was from an unknown sender, but there was a photo attached to the message, so Dean opened it.

His eyes widened slightly when he saw the picture of his brother staring back at him. Sammy looked good at least – there were a few bruises on his face, but he was alive, and that’s all that mattered. Dean would kill the sonuvabitch for marring his brother’s face when he found him. Relief flooded through his system as he stared at the phone, smiling down at it as his eyes filled with tears once more. Sammy was okay – he was going to be okay because Dean was going to find him and bring him back home.

Quickly, Dean scrolled down, his heart sinking when he could no longer see his brother’s face on his screen. There was text on this message as well, and Dean had a feeling that it was pertaining to Sam’s location. After all, it didn’t take a genius to realize the ‘shifter was texting Dean. Who else would be contacting him with an unknown number sending him pictures of his brother? This just made Dean want to kill him even more. But he was going to make it slow. He was going to make sure this sonuvabitch suffered for taking his brother from him.

No one fucked with Sam and got away with it. _No one_.

When John returned to Dean’s side, the younger man turned the phone a little so his father could see it. “This is from the ‘shifter,” he assured his father with a nod, scrolling back up so John could see the picture of Sam. “He’s taunting me.” Again, Dean scrolled down so he could read what the ‘shifter had sent him along with the picture. _Hello Dean, this is your superior self. Sammy and I are headed on a road trip – there’s a ghost in Ankeny, Iowa that is begging to be put down. Now, I don’t care about it particularly, but I figured you might. If you hurry, you might just be able to catch us before I take Sammy on another adventure. Talk to you real soon, Deano._

He couldn’t deny the anger that shot through him at the sight of the ‘shifter using his nickname for Sam. Only he was allowed to call his brother Sammy! Of course, he couldn’t dwell on that for long because now he had something to go on. Before, he didn’t have anything but the knowledge that the ‘shifter had Sam somewhere in the continental U.S. and now he had a city and a state – he had a location.

Instead of focusing on the fact that they now knew where Sam was going to be, John focused on the fact that there was a hunt they were headed to. “Dean, we have to take care of that spirit,” he explained, heading out of the Roadhouse and moving to his truck, opening the secret compartment and rifling through his weapons – checking his supplies.

Again, Dean knew he had to have heard his father wrong when he mentioned the hunt and didn’t even care enough to realize that they now knew where Sam was going to be. Following John out of the Roadhouse, he scoffed, “You’re kidding me, right?” His anger only grew when John looked at him like he had grown a second head, or something. “We’re not hunting in Ankeny!” he shouted, not caring that everyone was joining them outside to see what the ruckus was about. “Do you understand me when I say that, Dad? We’re not taking on this hunt!”

“Why the hell not, Dean?!” John asked, his eyes darting around at the crowd they’d drawn before they landed on his son again, warning Dean not to embarrass him in front of these other hunters. Sure, it was just Ellen and her gang, Bobby, and Missouri, but he would not be disrespected in front of their friends. “Innocent people could die if we don’t deal with this spirit!”

Innocent people could die? Honestly, Dean didn’t give a rat’s ass about the innocent people at this moment. Other hunters would deal with the spirit if they got pushed in the right direction. “Sam could die if we deal with it!” Dean yelled back, just barely resisting the urge to shove his father against his truck. “We’re not doing it! End of discussion!” Dean wasn’t going to back down from this.

Just in case anyone else was unclear about what the game plan was, Dean was going to make sure they were all on board now. Turning his attention to everyone now, Dean explained, “From this point on, we’re not going to be dealing with any other hunts. We’re focused on getting Sam back, and that’s it. Everything else stops until I have my brother back in the front seat of that Impala! If anyone has a problem with that, leave right now.” Glaring at his father, Dean concluded, “The _only_ thing that matters right now is getting Sam back.”

With that, Dean pushed his way past the rest of the group and headed to the Impala, flipping open his cell phone once more. _I’m coming for you, you piece of shit. And just let it be known that if there’s one hair out of place on my brother’s head, you’re going to wish that I would have killed you in St. Louis._ Happy with his reply, Dean snapped the phone shut, shoving the keys into the ignition and throwing the Impala into reverse. At this point, he didn’t care who followed him – he was going to get Sam, and if he was going in solo, then so be it. Either way, he was going to get his brother back.


	4. Chapter 4

“Why me?” Sam asked, his head turning on the bed slightly so he could look at the ‘shifter. The thing could have had its pick of the men or women out there in the world, but it chose him. And Sam didn’t think that being a hunter had anything to do with it because this thing didn’t look like it particularly sought out a challenge on purpose, or anything. No, it was something different. For some reason, Sam had attracted the attention of this thing, and he wanted to know why. That way, when Dean found him, he could tell his brother and hopefully the thing would suffer a slow and painful death.

A small frown came to the ‘shifter’s lips when Sam asked the question. He was surprised that Sam didn’t already know the answer. “Because you’re special, Sammy,” he explained, head tilting to the side when Sam rolled his eyes and looked away from him. “No,” he growled deeply, gripping Sam’s chin and forcing him to face him once more. “You don’t even see it, do you? I saw it the minute I laid eyes on you. And I could see the way Dean looked at you, and the way you looked at him. You love each other – I wanted you to look at me like that, Sammy.”

Leaning in, the ‘shifter pressed his lips against Sam’s once more, his grip tightening when he tried to get away. Honestly, he didn’t know why Sam hated him so much. It wasn’t as though he’d done anything to deserve this kind of behavior – he hadn’t done anything to Sam to make him feel that way. As long as Sam was good to him, the ‘shifter returned the same behavior. Hell, even when Sam was acting like a brat, he still treated him well. But he was getting sick and tired of Sam thinking that he could call the shots here. Until Sam earned the privilege, he didn’t get any say in what happened.

He was so good to Sam. Every time he went out to get food, he made sure to bring back Sam’s favorite, he stroked his hair and showed him affection, gave him massages, and he even allowed Sam to hunt in the towns they stopped in if he was being a good boy. So why the hell didn’t Sam love him? Why did he keep disobeying him at every turn? A few days ago, Sam had gotten really ill because he hadn’t been eating, so the ‘shifter had actually force fed him the food, warning Sam that if he didn’t do as he was told, someone was going to die. The ‘shifter couldn’t exactly remember the exact person he’d threatened, but it made Sam a lot more complacent.

And what did he get in return for all of his kindness? He was treated like nothing more than a monster. Every chance Sam got, he tried to escape, always fighting the ‘shifter on everything and screaming that he hated him. It had gotten so bad that the ‘shifter actually had to resort to drugging Sam to make him behave. But it was fine – he was doing this because he loved Sam and he was just trying to take care of him. Once Sam realized that, things would get a lot easier.

But the ‘shifter didn’t know how much more of this he could take. Dean was closing in every day no matter how far they ran. Sure, he never made it to the town they were in fast enough, but the ‘shifter knew that it was only a matter of time before he finally caught up to them. Sometimes, he thought that maybe he should stop leaving the pictures of Sam behind when they left a town, but he quickly let that idea slip through the cracks – that was half of the fun. He loved taunting Dean and letting him know that he was just a few hours too late to rescue his brother. It was all a testament to the fact that he didn’t deserve the younger man. If he couldn’t even save him from the ‘shifter, then what made Dean think he could save Sam from anything else in the world?

That’s why Sam was better off without his brother. He could be Sam’s brother, and they could be happy. The ‘shifter tried to explain that to Sam, reminding the younger man about all the times that his brother had hurt him, all the times they fought, and Dean got mad at him – trying to show Sam that he could be the better Dean for him. He wasn’t broken and cruel like Dean could sometimes be; he could talk openly and freely about his feelings, which Dean couldn’t. But Sam refused to see that he was the better choice, always insisting that he wanted his damn brother. It pissed the ‘shifter off more than Sam trying to escape.

Sam hated how weak he felt when he was with this monster. Every time he tried to escape, he was stopped and then drugged so he wouldn’t misbehave. Honestly, Sam was starting to wonder if he was ever going to get out of here. Somehow, the ‘shifter managed to dodge Dean every single time they were in a new town and Sam just couldn’t understand it. His brother was one of the best trackers he knew – Dean should have found him by now. Sure, the ‘shifter had assured him on numerous occasions that Dean had stopped looking for him because he didn’t love him, but Sam didn’t believe that. He knew better.

Still, it had been two weeks since he’d been kidnapped and Sam had been dragged all over the country, and there was no sign of his brother. He didn’t know what Dean was doing, but he wished that he would hurry his ass up and get him the hell out of here because Sam obviously wasn’t capable of doing it himself. It was like the ‘shifter knew every move that Sam was going to make and he was always one step ahead of him. And hell, for all Sam knew, that was true – the ‘shifter could download Dean’s thoughts and memories, so maybe he was shifting into Sam when the younger man wasn’t paying attention and calculating his thoughts and course of action. He didn’t even know if that was possible, but until proven otherwise, Sam was going to accept that’s what was happening.

What was even worse though was that Sam was about ready to give up. He was trying to learn more about the ‘shifter so he could earn his trust – he was beginning to obey him. It was Sam’s way of keeping people – and himself – safe. If he did what he was told and behaved the way the ‘shifter wanted, then everyone was safe. But the smallest things would set off the ‘shifter. Also, the ‘shifter tended to get very jealous if anyone spent “too much time” looking at Sam – in the ‘shifter’s opinion, that meant three seconds. His jealousy and possessiveness would get the best of him and he would lash out. Once, on one of the rare occasions that the ‘shifter took Sam out with him, the ‘shifter refused to tip a waitress because she’d been flirting with Sam. Then again, he supposed that he should have been happy that’s all the ‘shifter did – after all, Sam knew he wasn’t above killing people who pissed him off.

“Well, I’m gonna go grab us some grub,” the ‘shifter finally explained, clapping his hands together as he pushed himself to his feet. Smiling, he turned his attention to Sam as he opened the door. “Try not to miss me too much while I’m gone, baby,” he teased, heading out and locking the door behind him. Sure, Sam was bound to the bed as well as drugged, but there was no harm in taking a few extra precautions.

**~~**

Dean raised his index and middle fingers at Jo Harvelle, signaling that he was ready for another round. It had been two weeks since the ‘shifter had gotten his grubby hands on Sam, and Dean felt like he was no closer to getting Sam back than he had been the first night. Every time he got close, it seemed like the ‘shifter could sense it and he would run, taking Sam with him. His brother probably thought that he wasn’t even trying to find him, and that pissed Dean off more than anything else. He was trying, dammit! Dean wanted nothing more than to find Sam, but he was always one step behind this monster.

So Dean drank – _heavily_. Ellen and Missouri always tried to help him cope a little better when he was without Sam, but nothing was working. The fact of the matter was, Dean missed his brother – he felt completely lost without Sam. Most nights, Dean would drink himself into a stupor and get into a fight if someone was looking. He’d obviously get his ass kicked because he was too drunk to see straight, and then Ellen or Missouri would take care of him before he passed out and the process happened all over again the next day. On top of that, Dean wasn’t eating properly, which was apparently starting to show, so that was another thing that Missouri and Ellen could fawn over him for.

He knew nothing was going to change until he found his brother. Sam was all that mattered to him right now, and he needed to get his ass on the ball and find him. Once he had his brother back, they could deal with everything else. Only, he seemed to be the sole person here who believed that they were going to find him and it kind of pissed Dean off. Even Ash, who had been helping him decipher clues the ‘shifter would leave behind was starting to lose faith. He even had the audacity to suggest that the ‘shifter was just jerking his chain and Sam was dead. But Dean knew better. If Sam were dead, he would know – he’d _feel_ it.

Right now, he wanted to be out there looking for Sam, but they had no leads. There hadn’t been a polaroid of Sam in the last town, so Dean had no clue where they were going. The ‘shifter hadn’t attempted to contact him at all, which worried Dean. For all he knew, the ‘shifter was giving up on him, too. Maybe there would be no more clues as to where he was taking his brother next. And it wasn’t like Dean could just go from town to town and look for Sam – the United States were huge and then there was the possibility that Sam had been taken out of the country. It was an impossible task. 

Not to mention that Dean had to lay low. Over the last two weeks, the ‘shifter had been leaving a bloody trail of bodies that had either been assaulted or murdered, all while wearing Dean’s face. Various police departments and even the FBI had arrest warrants out on Dean at the moment – that was another Dean was going to kill this sonuvabitch for. After he kicked the shit out of him for taking Sam and doing God only knew what to him. Dean just hoped that his brother was still the same person when he finally got him back. Because Dean was getting him back – there was no doubt in Dean’s mind that he was bringing Sam home.

As soon as he took a swig from his beer, his phone rang, Dean quickly pulling the device from his pocket. He was waiting for his father to call him with an update from Harrisburg – he’d gone there earlier to see if the ‘shifter had taken Sam there. Really, Dean wasn’t even sure why he let John go. He knew it had been a ploy to let John go on another hunt because the older man was itching to get out there and kill something. And there had been reports of a possible ‘shifter in town, so Dean let him go. Of course, he didn’t think it would lead to anything, but he had to have hope. Right now, that was the only thing that was keeping Dean sane. “Yeah?” he answered, not even bothering to look at the caller ID because John always came up as an unknown caller anyway.

However, when he heard the voice on the other line, his blood started boiling in his veins, Dean quickly pushing himself out of his seat. It was the ‘shifter calling to taunt him. “I’m going to kill you,” Dean assured the thing as it laughed that Sam belonged to him now. Signaling to Ash to trace this call, Dean turned towards the back of the bar, praying to whoever was up there that he could keep this thing on the line long enough to tack its location. Ash was fast, so Dean had complete confidence in the other man.

A deep laugh broke out of the ‘shifter’s throat when Dean threatened to kill him. “Is that before or after you find Sam?” he asked, a wide smirk coming to his lips. “Because if you kill me, you’ll never find your brother. And young Sammy will be mine forever – even in the afterlife.” Huh, now that he said that, it wasn’t actually a bad thought. If he went down, maybe he could take Sam with him. Then the younger man wouldn’t always gripe about how he wasn’t Dean because he’d be the only Dean available to him – for real.

Sonuvabitch – this ‘shifter was really asking for a silver bullet to the heart. But Dean couldn’t focus on that. He needed to just keep this piece of shit on the line. Glancing at Ash, he was signaled that they were almost there, so he struck up another conversation. “Why are you doing this?” he asked, genuinely curious. “Do you have a death wish? Because you know that as soon as I find Sam, I’m going to hunt you down and kill you – even if it’s the last thing I do, I’ll be the one to end your life.”

When Dean asked why, the ‘shifter smiled again. “Because I’m in love with Sam,” he answered simply. “And now he’s mine. He knows that I’m the better choice for him. I don’t yell at him and treat him like he’s nothing more than a little brother unless I want something from him.” Chuckling, he added, “Now, don’t get me wrong, using your body does help a lot. Sam doesn’t have to pretend that he’s not cheating on you because I’m wearing your face. And let’s face it, you’re a fine piece of work – I’ll admit that. Well, as long as I don’t delve into that pesky brain of yours too often, anyway. My Sammy loves it when I walk around the motel room naked for him. I mean, you should see how fast he gets hard. And don’t even get me started on how I use these looks to get free food and meet all kinds of new people.”

Angrily, Dean snapped into the phone, “Sam’s mine! He’s not yours now, and he’s never going to be yours! If he feels _anything_ for you, it’s just physical. And you know why that is? Because you look like _me_!” Dean knew that he should have stopped right there, but he was just too pissed off. They already had the connection, so if the ‘shifter hung up on him, then so be it. “As soon as I find you, I’m going to prove that given the chance, Sam can tell the difference between the two of us, and he’s gonna choose me over you. He’d choose me any day of the week. And I swear to God, if you touch my brother, I’ll make you wish that I’d killed you in St. Louis! Do you fucking hear me you freak of nature?!”

“Well, it’s a little too late for that, Dean!” the ‘shifter spat into the phone, his anger rising. “Sam and I have made love every night since I took him. And he enjoys himself far more than he ever did with you. I can tell because I can take his form too so I know when he’s lying – I know what he likes, unlike you!” Sure, that was a lie – he and Sam hadn’t actually had sex yet – but he was planning on it, so he could tell this little fib for now.

With that, he hung up the phone, shoving it into his pocket as he sped off in the direction of the motel he and Sam were staying at in the stolen car he had. Dean thought he could tell him what to do? He had another thing coming. Sam was his now, and he would do whatever he wanted with the younger man. And it was time Sam got that same lesson because the ‘shifter was sick and tired of Sam resisting him all of the time. Tonight, they were going to have sex whether Sam wanted to or not.

The entire time the ‘shifter had been gone, Sam had been working at the ropes binding him to the bed. He knew that if he could just get himself out of them, there was a chance that he could escape. Sure, he still had the drugs in his system that were making him a bit sluggish, but he was pretty sure that if he had to, he could still run fast enough to get away. Besides, the ‘shifter wasn’t even here, so Sam was safe. And as soon as he got out of this motel, he could call Dean and his brother would come pick him up. Sam was sure of it.

For a split second, Sam thought that he might actually get out of this, but his hopes were quickly shattered when the door swung open, revealing the ‘shifter. And he looked pissed. Sam hated it when he didn’t know what kind of mood the ‘shifter was going to be in when he came back to the motel. After all, the ‘shifter loved playing games with Sam and he was really unpredictable with his behavior, so Sam never really knew what kind of a mood he would be in. But right now, it was pretty obvious that he was angry about something. Sam knew that tense stance and the pinched look on his brother’s face – he’d seen it so many times when he and Dean had argued.

Without saying a word, the ‘shifter advanced on Sam, crawling into the bed and blanketing Sam’s body with his own. He wasn’t playing around tonight – he was going to get what he wanted, and he wasn’t going to let Sam talk his way out of this. He’d tried to be a loving boyfriend to Sam, but all the younger man wanted to do was reject him. It stopped tonight. The ‘shifter was tired of Sam always flinching away from him and acting like there was nothing between them. He knew the truth and so did Sam – it was about time Sam admitted it to not only him, but himself as well. They had something here!

Roughly, he crushed their lips together, his hand sliding down Sam’s body to grip his dick through the jeans that Sam was wearing. Just as he figured, Sam was fighting him again, which wasn’t something that he was going to allow. Pulling back, he fisted his fingers in Sam’s hair, pulling his head back, his neck pulled taught, wrenched back so quickly Sam was surprised it didn’t snap. “There’s going to be some new ground rules, Sammy,” the shapeshifter explained harshly. “You need to remember that you belong to me now. I tried to be nice to you, but you’re just pissing me off now.”

Climbing off the bed, the ‘shifter yanked the fastenings of Sam’s jeans open, pulling them off Sam’s body. “From now on, you’re going to be completely naked when you and I are alone together,” he commanded as he grabbed Sam’s long-sleeved T-shirt and ripped it off him, tearing the shirt into several pieces to get every scrap off Sam’s body without having to untie him. “And when we do go out, _I_ choose your clothes, and you better not even think about arguing. Also, the only person you’re going to make eye contact with is going to be me. If you don’t obey this rule, I’ll personally remove the eyes of every person that you try to look at. Do you understand me, Sam?”

This whole thing came on so suddenly that Sam barely had time to register what was going on before he was brutally stripped of all his clothes and his attacker was barking orders at him. Sam didn’t like where this was going. But before he could get a word out, the ‘shifter’s clothes were gone and he was crawling back on top of Sam, shoving his legs apart and fitting himself into the V of Sam’s legs. “And when I say we’re going to have sex, you don’t get to tell me no,” the shapeshifter finished, smirking when the information finally sank in and Sam started to buck his hips in a desperate attempt to get away.

“No, don’t!” Sam ordered, bucking like a wild man as he tried to get the ‘shifter away from him. He wasn’t about to let this happen. Sure, there wasn’t a lot he could do about it because he was bound to the bed and he was still groggy because of the drugs, but he wasn’t going to just sit here. “Don’t do this to me! Get off!”

Of course, the ‘shifter didn’t listen, his hands moving to the backs of Sam’s knees and pushing his legs up close to his chest so he had better access to the younger Winchester’s body. With one hand gripping Sam’s hip so he couldn’t move, the ‘shifter reached down with his free hand and held the base of his cock, lining himself up with Sam’s hole. He knew this wasn’t ideal, but they didn’t have lube, so they’d just have to make do with the spit that he’d worked onto his dick a few moments before. After all, it wasn’t like Sam was a virgin – he could take it.

He ignored Sam’s protests to let him go as he slammed his cock into Sam’s body with one brutal thrust. Sam would learn to behave and follow the rules – this was going to be lesson number one. Not giving Sam much time to adjust, he pulled his hips back, pulling almost all the way out before he slammed back in, angling his body so that he hit Sam’s prostate. It wasn’t going to be worth it if Sam didn’t at least ejaculate. After all, not enjoying sex was a stab at the ‘shifter and that wasn’t going to be allowed. Not anymore. 

Sam screamed in pain when the ‘shifter roughly slammed into him, pain shooting through his body as he was violated in the worst way possible. Sure, he wasn’t a virgin – far from it – but when he was with Dean, the other man was always gentle with him. He took the time to prepare Sam properly for what was coming and he worked him through it. Not the ‘shifter though – it seemed like he wanted to cause Sam pain. Redoubling his efforts to get away, Sam twisted around like a crazy man, the ropes binding his wrists cutting into the vulnerable flesh, though Sam didn’t care. 

When Sam started squirming and struggling more, the ‘shifter rolled his eyes. Honestly, he had no idea what Sam was trying to do. “Hey, cut it out!” he ordered, slapping Sam in the middle of the forehead. “You’re hurting yourself. Right now, there’s nothing you can do to stop this. So you might as well just sit back and enjoy it.” Gyrating his hips, grinding his body against Sam’s, the ‘shifter breathed, “I can make you feel so good. All you have to do is lie back and let me.” As if to prove his point, the ‘shifter angled his hips once more so that he hit Sam’s prostate with each thrust.

The last thing Sam wanted was for this to feel good. He didn’t want to take any pleasure in being attacked like this. “Go to Hell!” Sam snapped back, teeth clenched in pain as silent tears tracked down Sam’s cheeks because of the pain and humiliation he was feeling. That only seemed to make the ‘shifter angry as he gripped Sam’s hips harder and yanked the younger man back to meet his every thrust. Sam could feel the deep purpling bruises starting to form where his hips were being held, and he just wished this could all be over.

It seemed like it lasted forever, but Sam knew that it really only took a few minutes. The ‘shifter’s hips had been moving like a piston inside his body, his cock jabbing at Sam’s prostate with each thrust, and there was nothing Sam could do to stop the pleasure that was spiking through his body. More tears slid down his cheeks as his body tensed, his back arching and his teeth clenching tightly together once more. His eyes squeezed tightly shut and his neck arched back as he tried to fight off the inevitable, but it was a losing battle as his balls drew up tight to his body moments before he started to come.

As Sam came, his inner muscles tightened around the ‘shifter’s dick, pulling his orgasm from him almost instantly. He hissed in pleasure as he released his seed into Sam’s body, collapsing onto his back beside Sam as he came down from his post orgasmic high. His chest rose and fell with each panted breath as his fingers combed through Sam’s hair. “See,” he whispered softly, rolling onto his side and pressing a kiss to Sam’s cheek. “We can be good together. All you have to do is stop fighting me.”

Not long after he came, the ‘shifter climbed out of the bed and headed into the bathroom to take a shower. Sam rolled onto his side as much as the bindings would allow, his knees pressed tightly together hiding his nakedness as he sobbed into the pillow. He couldn’t believe that this had actually happened. It all had to be a dream – he wasn’t here with a shapeshifter who was wearing his brother’s skin, and he hadn’t just been raped by the thing.

But Sam knew this wasn’t a dream. It wasn’t going to have a happy ending. For all he knew, Dean was never going to find him and he was going to die here. And hell, that didn’t sound like the worst fate he could meet. Sam wasn’t even sure if he wanted Dean to find him now because the thought of Dean finding out what happened to him was almost too much to bear. Still, he wasn’t going to think of that right now. At the moment, all Sam wanted to do was curl up into a ball and forget everything that was happening in his life.

After a few hours – once the ‘shifter had left to run some errands – Sam finally managed to fall into a light sleep due to how exhausted his body was. Unfortunately, it was anything but peaceful as nightmares plagued him. He woke about thirty minutes after he’d fallen asleep and spent the rest of the night staring at the ceiling until the ‘shifter came back and ordered him to get dressed. It was time to move on to the next city.


	5. Chapter 5

** One Month Later **

Exhaustion wracked Dean’s body as he climbed into the Impala, slamming the driver’s side door behind him. The last clue he’d gotten from the ‘shifter had led him to a small town in Michigan where a man had committed suicide in his own garage. Of course, it turned out that there was actually a hunt here, not that Dean got involved. He called in another hunter whom he knew was close by and he took care of the kid who had apparently been killing his family members with the power of his mind. 

As far as finding Sam, this place had been a bust, just like all of the others. Pulling out his cell phone, Dean called the Roadhouse, waiting for Ellen to answer. After all, the deal was that if he insisted on going solo to this location, then he was going to have to keep in contact with the rest of the group. “Hey Jo,” he greeted when she answered the phone, smirking softly when she insisted that she was going to put him on speaker. “So, Michigan was a bust. Sammy’s not here. I’m on my way back to you guys.” He left off the ‘maybe we’ll have better luck next time’ because he was beginning to believe that he was never going to catch up. But he wasn’t going to stop. He’d search for Sam until he was dead if it meant he didn’t have to give up on his brother.

Once he hung up the phone, instead of tossing it back into his pocket where he usually kept it, Dean pressed the speed dial for Sam. He and John had been trying to contact Sam via his cell phone or his laptop just in case, but so far they’d gotten nothing. Dean didn’t know why he thought this time was going to be different, but he figured there was no harm in trying. The worst thing that could happen was that it could go to voicemail like it always did.

However, this time _was_ different. Dean’s eyes widened to a near comical size when he heard the small voice answer on the other line. He almost convinced himself that he’d been hearing things until the voice spoke again. Then he knew it was real – it was Sam.

**~~**

The past month had been hard on Sam. He was starting to go crazy, he was sure because it was getting harder and harder for him to remember that he wasn’t with his brother. There were small things that set Sam on the right track, but sometimes he just couldn’t tell. It was like the longer he spent time in Dean’s skin, the more he became Dean, and sometimes Sam just couldn’t tell the difference, much to his own horror.

Still, there were differences that always made Sam remember that he wasn’t with Dean anymore. Like the fact that the ‘shifter would hurt or threaten people when Sam was misbehaving, or the times when the ‘shifter would hurt Sam during sex or beat him if he wasn’t obeying him. The rough sex always gave it away too because the ‘shifter would always just go a little too roughly – Dean would never have done that because he didn’t want to hurt Sam.

These days, Sam was only trying to survive. His feelings towards the ‘shifter hadn’t changed – he still hated the sonuvabitch – but now he depended on him. The only time that he was allowed to leave the motel was when they were relocating, so Sam needed to keep up his good behavior so the ‘shifter would continue to take care of him. And he hated feeling so weak and helpless, but there wasn’t a single thing he could do about it. Now, Sam depended on the ‘shifter for safety – he didn’t fight against the monster like he used to. 

Sam was basically like an obedient puppet.

Of course, his new attitude towards the ‘shifter wasn’t without its benefits. Sam was allowed to roam the motel freely now, and he didn’t have to be naked all of the time – only when they were going to bed. But there was still that defiant little piece of him that wanted to escape, even if he never let it show and he never gave in.

Which is why when he heard his cell phone ringing, Sam couldn’t help himself – he had to answer the device. Honestly, he was surprised the ‘shifter hadn’t thrown it out. The tracking device was obviously gone, otherwise Dean would have been able to find him ages ago. “Dean?” Sam asked when he answered the phone, his voice small, barely audible. His heart nearly sank when he didn’t hear anyone on the other line. “Dean, are you there?”

Snapping out of his stupor, Dean cleared his throat before quickly replying, “Yeah, Sammy, I’m here. I’m here, baby.” He couldn’t believe that he was actually talking to his brother. Six weeks of not knowing whether Sam was dead or alive and now he had him on the phone. It was a fucking miracle. But Dean knew he had to focus. He didn’t know how long he was actually going to have Sam on the line, after all. “Baby, listen to me; I need you to tell me where you are. Do you know where you are, Sam?”

“I’m in…Minnesota,” Sam answered, giving his head a small nod. “Hibbing, Minnesota. It’s the first motel you pass once you drive into the city.” Relief flooded through his system when he realized that Dean was coming for him. He hadn’t given up on Sam and now he was coming to get him back. Sam had known the ‘shifter was lying when he yelled that Dean didn’t care about him anymore and that he wasn’t looking for him. “Are-Are you coming to get me?” Sam asked, biting into his bottom lip as he waited for the answer.

Honestly, Dean didn’t understand why Sam even had to ask if he was coming for him. “Of course I’m coming, Sammy,” he assured his little brother, his eyes fluttering closed as he rested his head against the back of his seat. God, he couldn’t believe this was happening. “I’ve been on your trail for the last six weeks, but he’s always been one step ahead of me. I’m not going to let him take you away from me again, okay.”

Tears welled up in Sam’s eyes at his brother’s promise and he couldn’t help it as they started to fall. “I knew it,” Sam explained, crying into the phone. “I knew you wouldn’t abandon me. But he said that you weren’t coming and I was so scared that he’d done something to you. God, I miss you so much, Dean. I just…I want to be with you again. Please…hurry.”

Dean could tell that his brother was crying, and he hated it. “Shhh…baby, of course I wouldn’t abandon you,” he soothed, trying to comfort the younger man through the phone. He would have given anything to be there right now and pull Sam into an embrace, but this would have to do for now. “Don’t cry Sammy, please. I need you to answer a couple questions for me, all right?” When he heard the soft okay from Sam, Dean continued, “How long do you usually stay in a town?”

That was a tough question. Sam hadn’t been connected to the real world in weeks, so he had no idea what day it was. But he could remember sitting on the bed and watching morning to turn and vice versa, so he could make a guess. “Um…about a week, I think,” he answered, licking his lips and hoping that he was right.

A week – that was at least something to go on. “Okay Sammy, how long have you already been in Minnesota?” Dean wasn’t too far away. If he hauled ass, it shouldn’t take him too long to get there. As long as Sam could keep the ‘shifter in Hibbing, then Dean was sure he could make it there and get his brother back by the end of the day.

Again, Sam thought back to how many times he had watched the sun set and rise. “Three or four days,” Sam answered, not completely sure which it had been. “Dean, promise me that you’re going to come here and get me. Please…you have to promise!” He was crying again, and there was nothing he could do to stop the flow of tears. He hadn’t spoken to Dean in what felt like a lifetime and now there was a chance Dean was going to rescue him – he almost couldn’t believe it.

The ‘shifter was going to die – there was no doubt in his mind that he was going to kill the ugly ass sonuvabitch when he finally found them for making his brother cry. “I promise Sam,” he stated firmly, leaving no room for argument. “I’m about ten hours out. Where’s the ‘shifter now, Sammy?” Shoving the keys into the ignition, Dean started the Impala and sped out of the lot he was in, heading towards Minnesota. 

Although he knew Dean couldn’t see him, Sam shook his head. “I don’t know,” he answered. “He got mad at me earlier because I tried to wear my boxers while we were going to bed and he went out. I-I think he went to the nearest bar to get drunk. I don’t know when he’ll be back.” Biting into his bottom lip, Sam continued, “S-Sometimes when he’s mad, he stays out for a whole day so he can calm down. M-Maybe today will be one of those days.” God, Sam hoped today was one of those days.

Anger rose in Dean’s body when Sam explained why the ‘shifter had left. The thought of it touching Sam pissed him off more than the thought of it driving his car. He hoped that the ‘shifter was there when he burst through those doors so he could kill it. That monster didn’t deserve to be alive. Dean could only imagine what it had done to Sam while he had him – the thought wasn’t pretty, but Dean could handle it. He could help Sam get over everything and they’d be fine. “Okay baby, now I need you to do me a favor. Hang up the phone in case he comes back. We don’t want him to know that I’m on my way otherwise he’ll make you leave and I won’t be able to find you again. I’ll be there in ten hours. I’m gonna get you out there. Do you trust me, Sammy?”

The last thing Sam wanted to do was hang up the phone, but he knew Dean was right. “Of course I trust you,” Sam answered, biting into his bottom lip as he took a slow, calming breath. “I’ll see you in ten hours, Dean. I love you.” Before his brother could answer, Sam hang up the phone, flopping onto the bed and clinging to the device like a lifeline. Dean was coming for him. In ten hours, Sam was going to be back with Dean where he belonged.

As soon as he hung up the phone, Dean quickly dialed his father. “Hey, I know where Sam is,” he explained when John answered, cutting right to the chase. He didn’t have time to explain the whole story. “He finally answered his cell phone. I’m on my way there now; I’m about ten hours away. He’s in Hibbing, Minnesota. Haul ass and get there as soon as you can.” 

Without waiting for his father to speak, Dean snapped the phone shut and tossed it into the passenger seat, pressing his foot down harder on the gas pedal and gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white as the car accelerated down the freeway. This was the closest he had ever been to getting Sam and he wasn’t going to let his little brother slip through his fingers this time. He was bringing Sam home tonight.

**~~**

The ‘shifter returned to the motel room a few hours after Sam had gotten off the phone with Dean. He’d managed to get himself at least buzzed before the bar closed, and now he was ready for Sam to apologize to him. The rules were very clear – Sam wasn’t supposed to wear clothing when they were going to bed. The ‘shifter didn’t understand what was so hard about that rule. Hell, he’d even _changed_ the rule from when he had first put it into effect to make Sam happy. And how did the younger man repay him? By breaking the damn rules. 

Maybe that was the problem. He was giving Sam too much leniency because Sam had been behaving himself. Perhaps he should just make Sam walk around the motel naked all of the time. “Take off your clothes,” the ‘shifter ordered, glaring at the younger man. Sam needed to be disciplined, otherwise he was just going to continue acting this way. And the ‘shifter hated it when he had to discipline Sam like this, but he didn’t see any other choice. Besides, it wasn’t like having sex with Sam was a bad thing, but he had been working on trying to get Sam to be the first to engage in sexual activity. There was no doubt in his mind this was going to set them back.

Sam dutifully did as he was told, keeping his eyes glued to the floor as he watched each article of clothing being tossed onto a pile. He knew that he deserved this, which the ‘shifter was spouting off at him. It was always so much worse when the ‘shifter spoke during Sam’s punishments because he knew exactly what buttons to press to make Sam feel guilty and ashamed – it knew exactly how to upset Sam.

Once, Sam had been forced to watch while the ‘shifter turned into himself and Dean, downloading memories and rifling through their brains to figure things out about them. What the ‘shifter took back was ammunition to use against Sam like his memories, fears, hopes, and dreams. He would always throw Sam’s fear of Dean not coming for him back into his face, but Sam knew better now. He’d just been on the phone with the older man, and he knew for a fact that Dean was coming. Only seven more hours separated them, and Sam was going to hold on to that thought to get through whatever the ‘shifter had planned for him. 

Unfortunately, Sam hadn’t been prepared for the world of hurt the ‘shifter laid on him for his misbehavior. First, it started off with just verbal blows before he started physically attacking Sam. Blows to his head, chest and abdomen had the younger man curling up into the fetal position and begging for the ‘shifter to stop. Sam had never seen the ‘shifter drunk before, but he was starting to wish that he had never had to go through this experience. Apparently, the ‘shifter was an angry drunk and he liked using Sam as his personal punching bag. But Sam wasn’t going to let this break him; he had been through far worse. Besides, now he had the knowledge that his brother was coming to rescue him and he clung to it like a lifeline.

He wasn’t sure how long the beating lasted, but Sam could feel himself relaxing and breathing a sigh of relief when it was finally over. He had a minute to assess the damage after the ‘shifter stopped hitting him, and he wasn’t liking what he was coming up with. There were the obvious bruises that Sam could practically feel marring his skin, and he could tell that a few of his ribs were bruised, if not broken. Also, during the struggle, his wrist had somehow been snapped – Sam figured it had happened when he reached out to try to stop the blows, but he couldn’t be sure.

However, what Sam didn’t know was that the beatings were only the beginning. Roughly the ‘shifter grabbed him by the hair and forced him to his feet, shoving Sam face-first onto the bed. “Please don’t do this,” he whispered softly as he tried to wriggle away, not wanting this to happen. Dean was coming for him, and for some reason, that knowledge had Sam fighting for his right to choose to what happened to him again. He hadn’t fought in weeks, but he didn’t want this now and it was enough to fight for.

The ‘shifter refused to listen to Sam as he unbuttoned his own pants, reaching into the newly opened denim and gripped the base of his rock hard shaft, pulling it from its confines. Roughly, he shoved two dry fingers into Sam’s hole, knowing that if the younger man didn’t have at least a little bit of preparation, it would hurt him as well. And as much as he wanted to hurt Sam for his bad behavior, he didn’t want to hurt himself. Besides, it would still hurt when he finally took Sam with his dick. He knew exactly how gentle Dean was with Sam, always treating the younger man like he was going to break. Well, the ‘shifter wasn’t as cautious as Dean unless he wanted to be – now wasn’t one of those times. And if Sam broke, well, that wasn’t his problem.

A wide grin came to the ‘shifter’s lips as he listened to Sam’s shallow, panted breaths. Sam was trying too hard to keep his breathing controlled, letting the ‘shifter know just how much he was hurting him. Scissoring his fingers inside Sam, he barked out a laugh when Sam finally cried out in pain, the younger Winchester thrashing under him. “The more you move, the harder it’s going to make this for you, Sammy,” he breathed, roughly pulling his fingers from Sam’s body. He quickly replaced his fingers with the thick tip of his engorged dick, smirking as he rubbed the leaking slit along the crack of Sam’s ass. “Oh, baby, words cannot describe how much I am going to enjoy this.”

Before the ‘shifter’s words even registered, Sam’s body felt like it was being split in two as the ‘shifter pushed his cock into his unprepared hole. “Gah!” Sam cried out, the fingers of his good hand scratching at the sheets in an attempt to get some sort of leverage so he could pull himself away from his attacker, but there was nothing. The pain was unbearable, making Sam see white as the ‘shifter pulled himself almost all the way out before slamming back into him, forcing Sam’s body to slide painfully along the mattress in time with his thrusts. “Stop, please?!” he begged, tears sliding down his cheeks uncontrollably as his broken wrist was crushed between the bed and his abdomen.

It felt like forever before the ‘shifter was finally stuttering in his movements and Sam felt the sticky pulse of the ‘shifter’s release shooting into his body, making Sam feel sick and used just as it always did. As the ‘shifter pulled out of him, Sam felt cum and blood leaking from his abused flesh; the younger man sobbed softly as he gently moved his body so he could get his broken wrist out from under his body, lessening some of the pain he was feeling. Of course, now his whole body hurt, so the pain in his wrist wasn’t all that bad at the moment.

Tucking himself back into his jeans, the ‘shifter pushed himself off the bed, smiling down at his victim’s broken and abused body. He was so far from being finished with Sam, it wasn’t even funny. Roughly, he gripped Sam’s hair again and yanked the younger man to his feet once more, before he shoved Sam onto the bed, his back flat on the mattress this time. He then shoved Sam’s legs open with an impish smirk. “You’re going to feel so good when I’m done with you,” he hissed in Sam’s ear, climbing off the bed and shucking out of his clothes. 

Once he was naked, the ‘shifter climbed back onto the bed, straddling Sam’s face as his fingers gripped Sam’s jaw tightly. “Open your mouth, Sam!” he ordered, shoving his cock into Sam’s now open mouth. He felt the shift in Sam’s jaw and realized just in time that Sam was going to bite down. “If you bite me, I’ll cut out your fucking tongue.” That had Sam re-thinking his previous plan, the ‘shifter thrusting his hips deep into Sam’s mouth, choking him with his prick. “Ungh…fuck yeah, suck me harder, Sammy,” he breathed, gripping Sam’s hair and pulling his head impossibly closer to him, forcing Sam’s nose against his pubes as he continued to buck his hips. He was hard again already, and he knew he wasn’t going to last much longer because Sam’s mouth was so fucking hot.

Just as he had suspected, with one final thrust into Sam’s mouth, his cock head hitting the back of Sam’s throat roughly, causing Sam to gag, his throat working around the ‘shifter’s dick, he came with another loud shout. He wasn’t sure what had caused Sam to fight him this time when all of the other times Sam had just taken it, but he kind of liked it. Sure, the betrayal and all the loss of all the progress they had made kind of pissed him off, but it had been a while since he’d been rough with Sam, so this had been kind of enjoyable for him. 

When he was finished, he pulled out of Sam’s mouth, smiling at the younger man as he walked towards the door, tucking himself back into his pants once more. “You brought that on yourself, Sammy,” he assured the younger man with a small shake of his head. “You know I’m right. If you hadn’t fought me, then that wouldn’t have happened.” Glaring at the way Sam was holding his injured wrist, the ‘shifter sneered, “If you got hurt because of this, you can’t be mad at me for it, Sam! It was all your fault! Why do you have to make me fucking hurt you all of the time?!”

As the ‘shifter yelled at him, Sam flinched slightly, taking everything the ‘shifter said to him at face value and believing every word. After all, it was very rare that the ‘shifter was ever wrong. “I know,” Sam whispered softly, giving his head a small nod. “I-I don’t mean to be bad. Sometimes, I just can’t help it. Please…forgive me. Please?” 

He was about to answer when the door burst open, knocking the ‘shifter further into the room. His eyes widened when he saw Dean standing there, the barrel of a gun pointed directly at him. Of course, he knew Dean wouldn’t shoot – not when Sam was so close to him. “Dean,” he greeted a small smile on his lips as he moved closer to Sam, giving himself some added protection. “Well, isn’t it nice to see you? How’d you find us, Dean? I mean, I haven’t even gotten around to sending this clue yet.”

Although Dean wanted nothing more than to blow this sick fuck’s chest wide open, he knew he couldn’t take the risk when Sam was so close. He needed to get Sam out of there before he made his move. “I talked to Sammy,” he explained, smirking at the look of betrayal on the ‘shifter’s face. “Yeah, he told me exactly where you were. And it wasn’t hard to figure out which room you were in either. All I had to do was tell the front desk that I locked myself out of the room and they led me right to it.” 

The last thing Dean expected was for the ‘shifter to charge him when he had a gun in hand hands, but he was ready for it when it happened. Quickly, he stepped out of the way, the ‘shifter running into the wall. That didn’t stop it from coming back for more though, the thing knocking the gun out of Dean’s hands before he knew what was happening. Still, he fought back, taking great pleasure in dealing out some pain to this sonuvabitch.

As the ‘shifter and Dean fought, Sam managed to get to his feet, ignoring the pain in his body as he picked up the gun, firing off a shot at the ceiling to get the other men’s attentions. “Stop it – both of you!” Sam yelled as he pointed the gun towards Dean and the ‘shifter. God, now that he was looking at them, it was really hard to tell them apart. Then again, he supposed that was the point. They were like fucking twins!

“Shoot him, Sam!” the ‘shifter shouted, stepping away from Dean. “Kill him so we can get out of here, baby.” He could tell that Sam had no idea who the real Dean was and he was going to use that to his advantage. “He’s a fucking monster, Sam! Just kill it!” 

Sam’s head snapped to the right when he heard his brother’s voice, the younger man not sure which Dean was the ‘shifter. And there was no way he was going to shoot unless he was one hundred percent sure. But then both of them started shouting at him and Sam didn’t know what to do. He just wanted it all to stop. “Shut up!” Sam screamed, the hand holding the gun shaking as he tried to think of what to do. There were things that always let him know the ‘shifter wasn’t Dean, but Sam couldn’t for the life of him think of what they were now. 

It was strange – not ten seconds before the door burst open, Sam had been raped by the ‘shifter and he couldn’t even tell which one of them had hurt him now. Finally, something clicked in his head and he realized how he could tell them apart. Moving towards the Dean on the right, Sam breathed subtly, studying the other man as he took in his scent. He then did the same to the Dean on the left, frowning slightly as he pulled back, giving his head a small shake. 

His hand continued to shake as Sam lifted the gun and pointed it at the man on the left. “You’re not my brother,” Sam assured him, his finger tightening on the trigger. Just before the gun went off, Sam turned it towards the man on the right, his eyes widening as the bullet connected with the man’s chest, sending him flying into the wall. 

A deep sigh of relief escaped Dean when Sam turned the gun on the other man, his heart skipping a beat with the knowledge that his brother could have potentially just shot him. After all, it would have taken an idiot to not realize that Sam hadn’t had a clue which one of them was the real Dean for a minute there. And it wasn’t like Dean could blame him. Sam had been stuck here with his doppelganger for the last six weeks – that was bound to mess with anyone’s head. Slowly, he started to move towards the younger man, his hands up in a defensive position so Sam knew he wasn’t going to try anything. “Sammy?” he whispered, licking his lips. “Baby, are you okay?”

For a split second, Sam feared that he had made the wrong choice, his eyes sliding towards the corpse on the floor a few feet away before he turned his attention to the Dean standing right in front of him. Dropping the gun to the floor, Sam threw himself into Dean’s arms, clinging to his brother with his good hand, pulling Dean closer to him. It had been so damn long since he felt this safe, and he missed the feeling more than he could ever say. “I knew you’d come for me,” he sobbed, pulling the older man impossibly closer, breathing in Dean’s scent.

Immediately, Dean’s arms were around Sam, holding onto the younger man just as tightly. His lips made a trail from Sam’s cheek all the way down his neck to his shoulder, Dean squeezing his eyes closed in relief. He hadn’t even known how much he wanted to hold Sam like this until he was finally doing it. “I promised you that I would,” Dean reminded his brother. “There was no way I wasn’t comin’ to get you out of here.” Pulling back, Dean cupped his brother’s cheeks, frowning at the bruises all over his face. God, he kind of wished that he would have had time to kick that fucker’s ass before Sam killed him – then again, that had to have been very therapeutic for Sam, and judging by the bruises that Dean could see, Sam needed that. 

“C’mon baby,” he whispered, licking his lips as he reached down and started gathering up Sam’s clothes and handing them to him. “Get dressed. We’re getting out of here.” Dean knew that the manager had to have heard the gunshots and they couldn’t afford to have the police involved while Dean was still here. If they came after he and Sam had split and found the body, that was fine, but if they saw Dean, they’d try to take him in. There was no way in Hell Dean was going to allow that.

Once Sam was dressed, Dean hurried him to the Impala, helping his little brother get situated before he climbed into the driver’s seat and sped out of the lot. He could tell that Sam was in a lot of pain, and he wanted to help, but he wasn’t sure how. “What happened to your wrist?” Dean asked, frowning deeply when he realized Sam was favoring his right hand. If something was seriously wrong, they needed to stop at a hospital.

Shaking his head, Sam moved his good hand over the broken one, trying to hide his injury. “N-Nothing,” he answered softly. “I did something bad and I had to be punished.” Biting into his bottom lip, Sam turned his head towards the window, not wanting to see the look on Dean’s face. His brother had to know that he was a bad person to be around. Honestly, Sam was starting to wonder why he came back for him.

That answer wasn’t going to suffice. Dean could tell that Sam was hurting and he wanted to do a quick check to make sure Sam really was all right before he went any further. Checking to make sure no one was behind him, Dean pulled off the shoulder of the road, throwing the car into park before turning his attention towards Sam. “Let me see it,” he instructed, gently taking the hand when Sam offered it to him. Another deep frown marred his face when he realized that _nothing_ was actually a _break_. “Sammy, that’s broken,” he explained, cupping the younger man’s cheek once more. “We have to get you to a hospital, all right?”

He didn’t start moving again until Sam nodded, letting Dean know he was fine with going to the hospital to get his wrist casted. Normally, Dean would have done it all himself, but he didn’t have the equipment to deal with breaks – not to mention he kind of wanted Sam to have a full body examination so he knew what he was dealing with; knew what he had to fix.

The drive was quiet for some time as Dean put as many miles between them and the motel room as possible before he even thought about pulling into a hospital parking lot. However, he just had to break the silence when he saw his brother’s eyes start to wander from whatever he was looking at outside to his profile. “Sammy, how did you know that it was me?” he asked, licking his lips once more. He wasn’t even really sure he wanted to know the answer, but he just _had_ to for some reason. “How’d you know not to shoot me?”

It was a simple answer, Sam giving Dean a small shrug. “It was the smell,” he explained, his eyes moving towards the window once more. “You smell like coffee and rock salt with a hint of gunshot residue. He always smelled the sewers. No matter how many times he showered, that smell was still on him.” Again, Sam shrugged, his head leaning against the window as he concluded, “All I had to do was smell you.”

Again, they fell into a comfortable silence, Dean pulling into the first hospital he came across as soon as they passed the state lines. He just wanted to get Sam checked out and sent off with a clean bill of health so they could get back to the Roadhouse. Of course, Sam fought him on it, insisting that he was fine and he didn’t need examined – he only needed to get his wrist casted. Finally, they agreed that they would just have the doctor cast his wrist and then Dena would take care of everything else when they got the Roadhouse. It wasn’t ideal, but it’s what Sam wanted to do, so Dean didn’t fight him too hard on it.

As he waited for the doctor to cast his brother’s wrist, Dean called John back to give him an update. “Hey Dad,” he greeted, a small smile coming to his lips. “I got him. I found Sammy. The ‘shifter’s dead. Sammy’s got a busted wrist, so we’re in the ER right now getting it casted and then we’re headed your way. We should be back by tomorrow night. We’re probably gonna get a motel room and crash for a few hours before we hit the road again.” Dean had been on the road since the morning before and he was bone tired. Now that he had Sam back, he could finally catch some sleep. “We’ll see you when we get there.”

With that, Dean hung up the phone, his hand pressing against the small of Sam’s back once he was in the waiting room once more as Dean led him towards the Impala, the older man not missing the way Sam flinched away as though he was scared of Dean. They were going to be fine. Dean could make it easier for Sam to cope with what happened and they’d be fine. They just needed some time.


	6. Chapter 6

Dean pulled into a motel lot that he normally wouldn’t have when he finally felt like he just couldn’t drive anymore without wrecking. The place was a lot nicer than anything they would have looked at before, but Dean didn’t care. When he first saw Sam, he noticed the younger man had some cuts on his body and Dean wasn’t going to risk his brother getting an infection because of a seedy motel room. Besides, it was about time they got to have nice things for a change. Even if it was for just one night. 

“I’m gonna get us a room,” Dean explained after he’d cut the engine, smiling softly at his brother. “Do you wanna come with me, or did you wanna stay in the car?” He was giving Sam the option because he knew that his little brother had to be freaking out still from the events of the last few weeks. Honestly, he didn’t want Sam to leave his sight, but he also wasn’t going to push Sam into something that he didn’t want to do. After all, he would understand if Sam was in pain and didn’t want to move more than he had to.

Although Sam knew it was ridiculous, he didn’t want to be alone right now. “I-I want to come with you,” he explained, already shoving the door open and climbing out of the car. The last time he wasn’t with Dean, he’d gotten kidnapped and abused by a shapeshifter for however long it had been. Staying with Dean was definitely the better option and Sam didn’t care if his brother thought that he was weak, or pathetic because of it. Honestly, Sam was just happy to be able to stand after everything that he’d been through.

As soon as they were out of the car, Sam quickly moved towards Dean’s side, walking so close that they were almost touching. There was less chance of him getting grabbed if he could hold onto Dean in the event of anyone trying to touch him. And Dean didn’t seem to mind – hell, he seemed like he was about ten seconds from pulling Sam close against his side, so Sam wasn’t going to move away unless Dean told him to. After all, Sam knew how his brother felt about their relationship being open and accessible to the public. They hadn’t told anyone yet because they had a feeling no one would understand, so they liked to keep it on the down low.

Once they had their room, Dean made quick work of grabbing their duffels and swinging them over his shoulders before he grabbed the first aid kit and led Sam into the room. He made sure to lock the door behind him and immediately lay down the salt lines. Only after that was finished did he turn his attention to Sam, slowly leading the younger man to the king-sized bed. Usually, they stuck with two queens, but this time Dean made an exception. The last thing he wanted was for Sam to think he was rejecting him after everything that had happened to him. Dean would never do that.

Taking a seat on the bed, Dean took Sam’s hand in his own, pulling Sam down onto the bed with him. “C’mere baby, let me take a look at you,” he instructed, his hands cupping Sam’s cheeks so he could look at his brother’s face. There was bruising where the ‘shifter had undoubtedly hit Sam, but other than that, his face didn’t seem to be injured. Dean had a sick feeling that most of the damage Sam sustained was under his clothing. But Dean wasn’t going to make Sam take off his clothes so he could examine him like some kind of doctor. No, there were easier ways to see the damage while making sure that Sam still felt comfortable.

Gently, Dean stroked Sam’s face, smiling softly when his brother pressed his cheek into his palm. God, Dean had missed him. Sure, not having him around had been hell, but just _being_ with Sam – the little quirks the younger man had like the way he would lean into Dean without even realizing that he was doing it. Now that he had it back, Dean wasn’t going to let anything happen to Sam. “Do you wanna maybe take a shower with me?” Dean asked, his free hand combing through Sam’s hair. It was longer now than it had been when Sam got kidnapped and Dean kind of liked it. “Get those cuts and bruises cleaned up and then we can get some sleep.”

The idea of getting a shower without having to worry about taking too long or getting groped was the best thing Sam had heard in a long time. “Y-Yeah,” Sam answered with a small smile, nodding as he pulled away from Dean. “I wanna shower with you.” Sam’s movements were slow as he pushed himself off the bed, waiting for Dean to walk into the bathroom first before he followed, closing the door and throwing the lock into place. He didn’t know why he needed the door locked, but he did – a little added protection from the outside world he supposed.

If Dean saw Sam lock the door, he didn’t say anything as he turned on the water, allowing it to heat up as he stripped out of his clothes. He could see that Sam was in pain and struggling a bit, so he moved closer to his brother, his hands resting over Sam’s and stopping him from continuing. “Let me help you,” he whispered, waiting for Sam to give him the okay before he moved any further. He wasn’t completely sure about all of the details about what happened when Sam was with the ‘shifter, but Dean had an idea that maybe sexual acts were involved. The last thing he wanted was to make Sam remember anything about what had happened while he was with that monster. Dean wanted nothing more than to show Sam that he was never going to be treated that way again.

He would have been a fool not to take Dean up on his offer, Sam giving his head a small nod as he waited for Dean’s help. After all, he was hurting after the beating that he’d taken from the ‘shifter and having Dean help him get his clothes off was a good way to remind himself that Dean was actually here and he wasn’t still with the ‘shifter. His breath hitched and his whole body tingled when Dean’s hands were on him, Sam biting into his bottom lip to stifle the moan that wanted to escape him. Dean was always so gentle with him – it was a nice change from the treatment he usually received when the ‘shifter wanted something.

Dean could instantly feel the change in his brother’s demeanor when he touched him. For a second, Dean thought that he was upsetting Sam and he was about to pull away until he noticed that Sam was making a familiar face – it was the face that he usually made when they were getting hot and heavy together. But there was something off about it. Like maybe Sam thought he shouldn’t be getting turned on by Dean undressing him. “Baby, look at me,” he whispered, pressing their foreheads together so they were looking right in to each other’s eyes. “Is this okay?” he asked when Sam finally did as he was told. “Do you…not want me to touch you, or something?”

“N-No, I do,” Sam answered, nodding frantically. “I do want you to touch me. That’s kind of the problem.” Sam knew there was no way he could give Dean what he wanted from him. Not after everything that happened to him while he was being held captive. But Dean deserved it – he deserved to be with someone who wasn’t broken like Sam knew he was now. Back before he had been grabbed and abused by the ‘shifter, he would have been so hard he could have cut glass from just one touch, but now he wasn’t even a little stiff. And he knew that Dean was going to take that as a personal blow, but he shouldn’t. Sam was just having trouble forgetting what had happened to him. 

Maybe he would get over it soon. He was holding out for that, but there was a part of him that knew it could potentially never happen. He’d heard horror stories of people who had been attacked who had never been able to return to their normal lives. They were always looking over their shoulders and they were always terrified that something was going to happen. Sam didn’t want to be like that – in their line of work, he would be useless if he turned into someone like that. 

Keeping his movements slow and his touches gentle, Dean tipped Sam’s head back so he was looking at him again, a small frown on his lips. “What’s wrong with you wanting me to touch you?” he asked, obviously confused. He didn’t have a problem touching Sam, so he wasn’t sure what Sam was having trouble with here. It wasn’t like he was demanding that Sam forget everything that happened and let him fuck him right here and now – all he wanted to do was get Sam cleaned up, patched up, and rested up. They were going to have a long drive ahead of them and an even longer reunion in the morning.

A tear slid down Sam’s cheek as he explained, “I-I can’t…have sex with you. Not right now.” His body was sore and he didn’t think he could stomach having someone else inside him at the moment – even if that person was Dean. “I can’t give you what you want, and it’s killing me.” Pulling away from Dean, Sam started to move towards the door, needing to get out of here because he felt like such a disappointment to his brother. Dean definitely deserved someone who wasn’t going to start crying over something so fucking small.

Before Sam could get out of the bathroom, Dean quickly grabbed his elbow, turning him so they were facing each other once more. “Sammy, I don’t want that,” he promised, giving his head a small shake. “I mean…I do – I always want to be making love to you, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to. I can wait until you’re ready.” Biting into his bottom lip, Dean added, “And if you’re never ready to start up that part of our lives again, then that’s fine too. I _love_ you, Sammy. Not just the sex, but _being_ with you.” Pushing a stray piece of hair out of Sam’s face, Dean whispered, “You know that, right?”

Of course Sam knew that. Some part of him knew it, anyway. But right now he was just all fucked up. The ‘shifter had beat it into him that any time they were close and he was being touched that it would always lead to sex. And he knew that if he didn’t enjoy it, there was going to be punishment. Then again, Sam had to remember that he wasn’t with him anymore. He was with Dean now, and his brother would never do anything that he didn’t want. His brother loved him. “Yeah, I know that,” he whispered back, smiling at Dean. “I know, I just…never mind; it’s not important.”

Although Dean wanted to know what Sam was going to say, he didn’t push. He was sure the younger man would tell him when he was ready. “Okay,” he answered, taking Sam’s hand and tugging him into the middle of the bathroom again. “C’mon, we don’t know how long this water will stay warm.” Smirking at his own joke, he started removing Sam’s clothes, keeping his eyes locked on Sam’s the entire time as best as he could. He didn’t want Sam to think that he was trying to do anything other than get him into the shower, after all. Sam had made it very clear this wasn’t going to go any further than just cuddling at the most. Making sure that he wrapped Sam’s cast with saran wrap so no water could get on it, Dean tugged his brother into the shower, lathering up the washcloth to get the dirt, sweat, and grime off Sam’s body.

Once they were finished with the shower, Dean led Sam back into the bedroom, having him take a seat on the bed so he could tend to his wounds. There were some more pretty nasty looking bruises on Sam’s torso, and even some scratches on his chest and back as well. Thankfully, there was nothing that looked too bad, so Dean was able to give Sam some aspirin and call it a night. Usually, they slept naked, but tonight Sam insisted on tossing on a pair of light sleep pants and an old ratty T-shirt. Of course, Dean wasn’t too fond of the idea of not being able to feel Sam’s skin on his own, but he didn’t protest, pulling Sam into his chest as soon as he turned out the lights.

“D’n?” Sam mumbled after a few minutes, snuggling up against his brother’s side a little more. “Can-Can we leave the lamp on?” Sam hated the dark now – the dark was when the ‘shifter made Sam do things to him under the covers before he let them sleep. Not that Sam thought Dean was going to do anything like that, but it was a matter of wanting that extra protection. If Dean said no, Sam wasn’t going to get mad, but he was hoping that Dean would understand.

The question surprised him, Dean turning his head towards Sam a little as a small frown came to his lips once more. They hadn’t slept with a light on since Sam was eleven and he’d had that bad nightmare about their father getting injured on a hunt. Still, it wasn’t something that Dean couldn’t handle. If Sam wanted the light on, Dean would gladly turn it on. It was just another testament to the fact that Sam wasn’t the same as he had been the last time they’d been together. “Yeah, of course,” Dean answered, reaching for the switch and turning it on. “Anything you want, baby. All you have to do is ask.”

Again, Sam felt tears springing to his eyes when his brother spoke. Dean was too damn good to him. He definitely deserved someone better than Sam who now seemed like nothing more than a shell of the man he had once been. But Sam was selfish and he didn’t want to give Dean up. Snuggling in even more, leaving no space between them, Sam whispered, “Just hold me. Please?” 

Without hesitating, Dean wrapped his arms around his brother, one arm swung over Sam’s waist while the other held Sam’s shoulders, the fingers of that hand stroking lovingly through Sam’s hair. “Of course I’ll hold you,” he whispered, leaning down to press a soft kiss to Sam’s forehead. “Get some sleep, baby. ‘S gonna be a long day tomorrow.”

**~~**

_Darkness washed over the room, creating shadows and an eerie atmosphere. The ‘shifter had locked Sam in the bathroom almost an hour ago and he could hear the man ruffling around in the room, but Sam had no idea what he was doing. The waiting was nerve wracking because Sam had no idea what the other man had in mind for him. When he’d come home from running whatever errands he always had to take care of, Sam couldn’t decipher his mood. He looked like he was in pain as he held his fingers to his temple, eyes closed as he listened to something only he could hear. Sam later learned that was his way of downloading Dean’s thoughts and memories, making it almost impossible for Sam to tell the difference between the ‘shifter and his real brother at times._

_Finally, the door opened, revealing a quaint little setup on the far side of the room, the ‘shifter smiling lovingly down at Sam. “You didn’t tell me that it was your birthday today Sammy,” he explained, grabbing Sam’s elbow and leading him out of the room. “But don’t worry – I remembered just like a good big brother. And I figured since we can’t go out, I would make you a nice dinner for two here.”_

_Sam could smell the food sitting in the bags, but he didn’t say anything about it. Sure, he was hungry because he’d been malnourishing himself in an attempt to rebel, but he wasn’t going to let the ‘shifter know he wanted this. He knew what the thing was fishing for – he wanted Sam to show some gratitude, love – any kind of emotion really. But Sam wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction._

_Only waiting a few moments for Sam to thank him, which he didn’t receive, the ‘shifter moved Sam to the chair he had waiting for him, not letting Sam see how upset he was getting by the silent treatment. If Sam wanted to act like a child, the ‘shifter would allow it for a few more minutes. After all, he had locked him in the bathroom while he set this up. And sometimes Sam got like this, but when he realized that he was making him mad, Sam quickly stopped the bullshit. The ‘shifter had confidence that Sam was going to do the same in this instance. “C’mon, let’s eat,” he smiled, forcing Sam into the chair before he served him food. However, he didn’t allow Sam to feed himself, instead moving to do it for Sam._

_He loved doing this for his Sammy. The ‘shifter wanted to be Sam’s everything, even if Sam didn’t accept it quite yet. He’d feed him and he would choose his clothes for him – it was like he was Sam’s master, and that excited him. Of course, Sam seemed scared of him sometimes, which wasn’t what he wanted, but he would take it. Really, he just wanted Sam to_ obey _; he wanted Sam to be his good little boy. If Sam could just do that for him, he wouldn’t have to treat Sam the way he did sometimes. And the punishments could be completely removed from their daily lives._

_As he fed Sam the last bite of his pie, the ‘shifter purposely got filling on the side of the younger man’s mouth, smiling at Sam and feigning innocence. “Oops,” he breathed, leaning in close to Sam. “Let me get that for you.” Without giving Sam a chance to answer, he leaned in and crushed their lips together, using his tongue to clean up the corner of Sam’s mouth before he thrust the muscle into the younger man’s mouth, forcing Sam’s own into a battle for dominance. “God, Sammy, I love the way you taste,” he breathed as he pulled back, fingers fisting in Sam’s hair._

_Again, he crushed their lips together, a deep moan breaking from him as he once again forced his tongue into Sam’s mouth. He didn’t pull back again until he needed air, pressing their foreheads together and smiling at his lover. “I love you,” he whispered, his green eyes ticking up to meet Sam’s. He wanted the younger man to say it back. He didn’t care if Sam gave him the silent treatment all day because he wanted to act like a brat, but now he was expecting an answer. And when he didn’t get one, he really got annoyed._

_His grip on Sam’s hair tightened as he yanked Sam’s head back, stretching that deliciously long neck taut. “Say it back,” he growled in warning, leaning in to scrape his teeth across Sam’s flesh. “Say it back to me or we’ll go pay Dean’s old friend Cassie a visit. I bet she’d be so happy to see him again. I wouldn’t even have to try very hard to get into that house.”_

_The threat had Sam’s wall breaking, the younger man giving his head a small shake. “I can’t,” he whispered, biting into his bottom lip as tears sprung to his eyes. “Please…I can’t do that.” He didn’t want to be responsible for Dean’s old girlfriend’s death, but there was no way in Hell he could tell this monster that he loved him. Sam wasn’t even sure he could force the words out of his mouth even if he wanted to. But there was something else he could do – a sure way to get the ‘shifter’s attention off Cassie and back on him. It would break him down a little further, but really, he didn’t care. After being raped for the sixth time in two weeks, he wasn’t even sure if there was anything else to break._

_When the ‘shifter released him and stood up, Sam grabbed his arm before he could walk away. “Please…” he started, pulling the ‘shifter into another deep kiss as he pressed his body close to his. “Don’t do this. She’s nothing. Not even worth your time.” Licking his lips, Sam stepped back and pulled the T-shirt he was wearing off, flexing his muscles a little as he did to make himself more appealing the ‘shifter. “Just stay here with me. I know a lot of things we can do that would be a lot more fun that killing an unimportant piece of Dean’s past.”_

_A wide smile came to the ‘shifter’s face when Sam pulled his shirt off. Maybe the woman wasn’t worth his time, but Sam sure as hell was. Forgetting completely about his earlier threat, the ‘shifter grabbed Sam, arms wrapping around his waist and he hauled Sam off the floor and slammed him unceremoniously onto the mattress, lips crushing against Sam’s almost instantly. He didn’t waste any time as he ripped the rest of their clothes off, tossing them into a pile on the floor before he sheathed himself inside Sam’s tight heat._

_It didn’t take long before the ‘shifter’s balls were drawing up tight against his body, his hips snapping frantically, thrusts growing erratic before he came inside Sam, groaning in pleasure as he did so. His hand then wrapped around Sam’s member, forcing an orgasm out of him as well before he collapsed on the bed beside Sam, breathing heavily as he chuckled. “Mmm…you sure know how to make a guy feel fucking fantastic,” he complimented, fingers dancing along Sam’s flesh when he rolled onto his side so he could look at Sam._

_Luckily, he didn’t stay in the bed long, moving to the bathroom so he could shower and leaving Sam alone to deal with what had just happened. Sam couldn’t believe that he had just done that – offered his body as a distraction to save someone’s life. But it had worked and Cassie was still alive. And it didn’t matter how fucking dirty Sam felt after that because he’d been able to save the girl._

Sam jerked awake with a start, his body jackknifing off the bed as he began to all but hyperventilate. The nightmares were getting worse – he thought once the ‘shifter was gone and he was back with Dean the nightmares would stop, but it was the exact opposite. When a hand ran up his back, Sam flinched away, practically falling off the bed in his haste to get away from the roaming fingers. He wasn’t going to let anything else happen to him – he was stronger than this. And just because he had allowed the ‘shifter to touch him like that once to save Cassie’s life didn’t mean he was going to allow it again.

The minute he felt Sam jerk awake, Dean was up, one hand under the pillow reaching for the knife he kept there so he could deal with the threat. However, when he realized that his brother had just been having a nightmare, Dean relaxed, his hand sliding up his brother’s back in a form of comfort. Unfortunately, it seemed to have the opposite effect as Sam bolted from the bed and huddled into a corner by the window. “Sammy, baby, calm down,” Dean whispered, giving his head a small shake as he slowly slid off the bed, keeping his hands held out as though he were surrendering. He wasn’t a threat to Sam and he needed to show the younger man just that. 

Slowly, Dean moved towards his brother, giving his head a small shake as pleading eyes locked on Sam’s. “Please Sammy, it’s me,” he explained, so close now that he could touch, but he didn’t. He was going to let Sam make the first move. “Please Sam? You know it’s me. The ‘shifter’s dead. _You_ shot him.” This was going to be a lot harder than Dean thought. He wasn’t sure why he assumed now that he had Sam back everything was going to be just fine, but he was learning now that he’d been wrong. Sam was obviously traumatized and Dean wanted to help, but he wasn’t sure how.

His first instinct had been to lash out and run, but when Sam listened to what was being said, the memories flooded back into his head. Dean was here with him – not the ‘shifter. Sam knew that. As realization hit, he broke down, his face crumbling as he sobbed. “Dean?” he cried, reaching out and grabbing a fistful of the older man’s shirt, pulling his brother flush against his body as he buried his face in Dean’s neck, breathing in that familiar scent.

As soon as Sam pulled him in, Dean wrapped his arms around the younger man, his fingers carding through Sam’s hair as he held him close, letting Sam cry into his shoulder. The fabric of his T-shirt was getting soaked, but Dean didn’t care as he whispered soothing words into his brother’s ear. “S’okay baby,” he whispered softly, pressing a kiss to Sam’s temple. “We’re gonna be okay. We’re gonna get through this, okay? Just me and you – we’re gonna get through this.”

After about twenty minutes, Sam finally stopped crying, his body sagging with exhaustion as he clung to Dean as though he thought if he let go, his brother would disappear. And hell, there was a thought in the back of his mind that Dean wasn’t really here and this was all just a dream. He feared that he was going to wake up from this dream and he’d be back in Hell with the ‘shifter. But he wasn’t letting that get the best of him because he could _feel_ Dean. He was right here and Sam wasn’t going to let go.

“C’mon baby,” Dean whispered softly as he felt Sam’s body starting to sag. “Let’s get back into bed. We still have a few more hours until the sun rises.” Dean needed to get some more sleep if he wanted to drive straight through and Sam was getting dark circles under his eyes, so Dean knew he needed it too. Once he had him back in bed, Dean covered them both up, rolling onto his side so he could pull Sam flush against his front. His lips pressed against Sam’s for a brief moment before he pulled back, his fingers once again stroking through Sam’s silky locks. “Get some more sleep. You’re getting those bags under your eyes again.”

Although Sam had a feeling he wasn’t going to be able to sleep again after his nightmare, he was going to try. He knew that when he didn’t sleep enough, those dark circles came back and it upset Dean because he thought that he wasn’t properly taking care of his brother. He leaned in and crushed his lips against Dean’s once more, wanting to give his brother _something_ for all of his help. “Love you, Dean.”

A small smile came to Dean’s lips as he pulled Sam impossibly closer, his eyes closing as he got comfortable. “I love you too, Sammy,” he whispered back, already well on his way to falling asleep again. The last six weeks had worn him down and now that he had Sam back, he could finally sleep again. And he didn’t see a problem in taking advantage of that.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, Sam and Dean got out of the motel early and headed in the direction of the Roadhouse. There was a comfortable silence in the car as they closed the distance between themselves and their father. Dean wasn’t sure how Sam was going to handle seeing John. After all, Sam hadn’t seen the older Winchester since he’d gone off to college and Dean had a feeling Sam thought John didn’t want to see him. The night Sam left, there had been some hated words exchanged from both parties, and both men were stubborn as hell, so Dean was ready to be the peacemaker between the two of them if necessary.

After everything that had happened to Sam, Dean felt even more protective of him than he had before the ‘shifter took him. And Dean didn’t even know the full extent of what the bastard had done to his brother while he was holding him captive. He had a feeling that if he knew, his hatred for the thing would only intensify along with his protectiveness for Sam.

And it wasn’t that he was just worried for their reunion – it was everyone seeing Sam. Since Dean had gotten him back, his brother had been very clingy. Dean didn’t mind it of course, but they hadn’t told anyone about their relationship and he didn’t want to just toss it out there right now. After all, he would have had to have been a fool to think that John would be all right with his sons having sex on a regular basis – he knew John wouldn’t approve of his and Sam’s relationship, so he’d been kind of hoping to keep it to himself. But he knew that Sam needed him, and given the choice between his father finding out about his dirty little secret and abandoning Sam, he was going to go with the first option.

Sometime during the ride, Sam had fallen asleep against Dean’s side, the younger man wrapped around his brother like a second skin. Of course, Dean didn’t mind, his own arm held protectively around the younger Winchester. His father might be pissed off when he found out about them, but that didn’t mean anything to Dean right now. Over the last few weeks, Dean was starting to realize that John Winchester wasn’t the man he thought he was. When Sam had been kidnapped and they weren’t one hundred percent sure if he was dead or alive, all John wanted to do was hunt. Every town they were led to had a hunt in it – Rockford, Illinois, that little town in Nebraska – and John had wanted to hunt. Sam was missing, and John had wanted to hunt.

Honestly, Dean wasn’t even sure if he knew his father anymore. The man he remembered would have done anything for his sons. Hell, maybe hunting was a way for John to forget that Sam was gone – a distraction – but that didn’t make it any better. Dean was still pissed off at the older man. So yeah, if he wanted to say something about the way Sam would hang on Dean or turn to him for comfort, then let him. Dean would put him in his place so fast John wouldn’t know what hit him.

A small smile came to Dean’s lips as he thought of what Sam would say if he knew what he was thinking. The younger man had always been on his case about their father and how he always followed him because he had blind faith in the man – if only Sam could have seen the way he stuck up to him when he thought something was going to happen to Sam. 

His smile quickly vanished when he saw the sign for the Roadhouse up ahead – it was time to reunite with everyone and Dean was just praying to whoever was listening that his brother was going to be able to handle this. After all, there were a lot of people in there and Dean wasn’t sure _he_ even wanted to go in there, let alone take Sam there. Now he was thinking that maybe they should have just stayed at the motel for a little while longer so he could have prepared Sam a little more for this. But it was a little too late for that as he parked the Impala in the lot, cutting the engine and turning his attention to Sam.

“Sammy, baby, wake up,” he whispered, shaking the younger man gently. “We’re here, Sammy.” A small smile came to his lips when Sam gave him that sleepy little look he always got when he didn’t quite want to wake up. “Hey,” he greeted, fingers tipping Sam’s chin up so he could look him in the eyes. “We’re at the Roadhouse. C’mon, everyone’s really happy to see you back in one piece.”

Although Sam wanted to see the team of friends who had been helping Dean find him, he was a little nervous at the same time. He hadn’t been with more than one person in a long time and now he was worried that having all of these people around would make him relapse. After all, he wasn’t exactly steady at the moment as it was. But he could tell that Dean wanted him to do this and he didn’t want to let his brother down. “O-Okay,” he answered, smiling softly at the older man. Slowly, he untangled himself from Dean and pushed the door open, biting into his bottom lip as he glanced at the entrance to the bar.

Dean could tell that Sam was nervous, but he wasn’t going to let that stop them. His brother had to do this – if Sam wanted to recover, he had to get back into his normal routine. “Hey,” he whispered, moving around the Impala and taking his brother’s hands in his own, not caring if there were prying eyes in the building. “Don’t be afraid, okay? I’m going to be there with you the whole time. Nothing bad is gonna happen. And if it gets to be too much for you, just look at me and say you’re tired, or something and I’ll get you out of there.”

He knew he could count on his brother. More than anything right now, Sam wanted to lean in and kiss Dean, but he knew he shouldn’t. For all he knew, people were watching from the Roadhouse. Hell, Sam was surprised that Dean was even holding his hands. “Okay,” he answered once more, giving his brother’s hands a squeeze before he released them, allowing Dean to lead the way to the door.

Once inside the Roadhouse, Sam was overwhelmed with hugs and ‘welcome back’s. John actually hugged him, which Sam hadn’t been ready for. The older man quickly pulled back when he felt Sam tense though, which made Sam feel like an asshole. It wasn’t that he hadn’t wanted to hug John – it was just he didn’t want to be touched. Since everything that happened with the ‘shifter, he wanted to be left alone for the most part. Sometimes, he even flinched and tensed when Dean touched him, so it was understandable that he was flinching around everyone else.

The only person who didn’t hug him, or touch him at all for that matter, was Missouri. Sam was grateful for it – she seemed like she knew that Sam didn’t want to be bothered and she respected his wishes. He’d heard of her – she was the psychic who John went to when he figured about what had happened to their mother. She had been the one to put John on his path of hunting. Sam wanted to hate her and blame her for all of the rotten things that had happened in his life, but she was just too nice – he couldn’t find it in him to be angry with her.

Everyone seemed pleased that he was back and they were all celebrating with alcohol and fattening food. Dean was enjoying pie about the time Sam was ready to call it a night. Sure, he wanted Dean to come to bed with him, but he didn’t want to pull the older man away from his food. Besides, he wasn’t even sure if they were going to be staying in the same room because no one here knew about their relationship and Sam had a feeling Dean wanted to keep it that way. Not that Sam could blame him – he knew no one else would understand.

Of course, as he stood to head to his room, Sam remembered that he had no idea where they were staying. He figured that John and Dean had already been situated here since this seemed to be kind of a home base for them, but Sam felt so out of place. Although it was the last thing he wanted to do, Sam moved to where Dean was sitting, tapping the older man on the shoulder to get his attention. Sam felt so awkward here – he felt out of place even in his own skin. His bottom lip was caught between his teeth and he was fidgeting, shuffling from one foot to the other. “D-Dean, I’m tired,” Sam explained when his brother looked at him, his eyes quickly darting to the floor when he noticed Dean was trying to make eye contact.

It was obvious that Sam was at his breaking point. Honestly, Dean was surprised that he had lasted this long. The drive had taken a lot out of them and then last night’s issues with the nightmares had also worn them down, so it was no wonder Sam was ready for bed. Quickly, Dean pushed himself out of his seat, frowning at the look John was giving his brother. Their father didn’t need to know what was going on yet. “Okay Sammy, c’mon,” he instructed, taking his brother’s elbow and leading him towards the back of the Roadhouse.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Sam turned to Dean, frowning at the older man. “M’sorry,” he apologized, giving his head a small shake. “You-You don’t have to go to bed. I just…I wasn’t sure where we were staying. Or…if we were staying in the same room.” More than anything Sam wanted to be able to lay in his brother’s arms while he slept, but he wouldn’t protest if Dean made him sleep in a separate room to keep up appearances. After all, Sam and Dean had slept alone before – it wasn’t like Sam couldn’t do it. 

Well, he probably couldn’t sleep alone now. But he wasn’t going to let Dean know that because he didn’t want to push his brother into anything. If it were up to Sam, everyone would have known about their relationship already and if they didn’t like it, then they could just leave them alone. He had only kept his mouth shut for Dean’s sake.

Another small frown came to Dean’s lips when Sam apologized, the older Winchester quickly shaking his head, his hand moving to cup Sam’s cheek. “Baby, shhh...” Dean whispered softly, leaning in and pressing a quick kiss to Sam’s lips. “You don’t have to apologize for being tired. I don’t care if I have to leave them to go to bed, all right?” The idea of not staying in the same room had Dean’s heart clenching – he didn’t want to be in separate rooms, but if Sam wanted him to stay away while they were here, he would. “I…um, I thought we would stay in the same room, but if you want, I can sleep on the mattress out back or whatever.”

“No! I wanna stay with you,” Sam assured Dean, his hand gripping his brother’s shirt so he couldn’t get away from him. “I just thought that with everyone here – with _Dad_ here—”

Before Sam could finish his sentence, Dean pressed his finger to his lips, stopping him from speaking. “I don’t care about that right now,” he promised Sam. “After everything that happened, I want to be in the same room with you. I want to be there to protect you from the nightmares and just…hold you while you’re falling asleep.” He knew that he sounded sappy as all Hell, but he didn’t care right now – Sam had always wanted to talk about his feelings and now Dean was giving in to his brother’s demands. 

Without further protest, Sam took Dean’s hand, smiling at his brother. “Lead the way,” he instructed, following after Dean as they walked towards the back of the Roadhouse to the room Dean had been calling his own for the last month or so. Tonight, Sam actually slept in just his boxers, curling close to Dean and falling asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. Of course, the nightmares came a few hours later, but they didn’t seem to be as bad as the night before, so Dean was willing to count that as a win for the Winchester boys.

**~~**

Over the next few weeks, Sam seemed to be getting better. He was able to sleep through the night for the most part and he was even opening up a little bit to Dean about what had happened. Of course, Sam’s stories of the ‘shifter raping him and making him do things he didn’t want to had Dean’s stomach rolling and his anger rising for the damn monster who hurt his brother, but he was glad that Sam was able to talk about it. Dean supposed that he had Missouri to thank for that because she had been the one to help Sam see that if he didn’t talk about what he had been through, he was never going to get better.

He’d learned that when Sam didn’t behave, the ‘shifter would turn into other people to torment Sam. Usually, it would be people Sam was close to – John, Bobby – hell, Sam confided that the thing had even take the shape of their mother once. That had made Dean want to go find the body and shoot him again, but he knew it wouldn’t do any good and his brother needed him here. Sam was finally starting to get better, and Dean didn’t want to jeopardize that by leaving and making him think that he was abandoning him. Dean would never do that to Sam.

A small frown came to Dean’s lips when his father stepped up beside him, the older Winchester’s eyes on his youngest son. “So, how’s he holding up?” John asked, his eyes swinging to Dean as he waited for an answer. 

Shrugging, Dean answered, “He seems fine. A lot better than he was when I found him.” Dean wasn’t sure why John wasn’t just asking Sam himself, but he had a bad feeling that John was fishing for something that he didn’t want to hand over. After all, anyone who didn’t notice how close Sam and Dean seemed to have gotten would have been an idiot. But if John was waiting for Dean to tell him that he and Sam were in a relationship, he was going to be waiting for a long damn time.

Slowly, John nodded, his eyes ticking from Sam to Dean. “Yeah, he seems like he’s doing well.” Biting into his bottom lip, John added, “When he’s with you, anyway.” He saw the look Dean gave him and John knew that he was treading on thin ice, but he was going to press his luck. “Sam seems to only be able to function like a normal adult when you’re around. I wonder why that is, Dean.”

Anger slowly bubbled into his blood at John’s words, Dean turning his body towards his father and crossing his arms over his chest. “What are you suggesting, Dad?” he asked, his eyes ticking over to Sam to make sure the younger man was all right before he turned his full attention to John. He really didn’t want to do this here – Sam was still healing and John was going to pick a fight right in front of him? What kind of a father did something like that?

John turned his body towards Dean as well when his son changed his stance, using the small amount of height he had on his eldest in an attempt to be more intimidating. “I’m just wondering what’s going on between the two of you,” he explained, a sick feeling coming to his stomach much like it always did when he thought about the relationship his boys had with each other. They were just a little too close to be _just_ brothers. Sam was always standing a little too close and Dean was always staring a little too long – any fool could see it. Hell, Bobby had even mentioned it a couple times when he thought John wasn’t in the room.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dean lied, turning his attention to Sam once more. He was about to walk towards his little brother, but his dad grabbed his arm, stopping him from moving. Apparently, John wasn’t finished with this conversation. On the other hand, Dean was. “Let go of me, Dad.”

Not caring that Dean wanted to walk away, John argued, “I think you and Sam need to take some time apart. It’ll be good for the both of you.” He knew now that Dean heard what he had come over to propose, the younger Winchester was going to want to stay and he was definitely going to have an opinion on the matter. Unfortunately for Dean, John didn’t care what he thought. Sam was going to be leaving with him and Dean was going to be leaving alone tomorrow morning.

Now, Dean was pissed. Yanking his arm out of John’s grasp, he hissed, “Are you fucking nuts?!” Of course, he knew that he shouldn’t talk to his father like that, but the man must have eaten some bad Wheaties this morning, or something! There was no way that Sam was going to agree to split from Dean. Hell, even getting the younger man to take a shower by himself was a challenge! There was no way Sam was leaving Dean without a fight – and there was no way Dean was letting Sam go without a fight.

This was the last thing John wanted to do. But he was looking out for Sam, and this was the only way he knew how. “Dean, it’s not safe for Sam to be around you right now I don’t think. I mean, you said it yourself – when you found him, he was showing signs of Stockholm syndrome. For all we know, Sam thinks that he’s with that monster when you’re together. You don’t want to force your brother into anything when he’s not in his right mind.”

Force Sam into anything? Where the hell had that come from? “Sam knows I’m not the ‘shifter, Dad, trust me,” Dean argued, glaring at the older man for even suggesting that Sam didn’t know the difference. Sure, when he found him, Sam had been a little confused, but he at least shot the right one. Sam knew he was Dean – the _real_ Dean. There was no doubt in his mind that Sam knew exactly who he was. “And I would never force Sam into anything. What the hell kind of a person do you think I am?”

Of course John knew that Dean would never do anything to intentionally hurt Sam, but Sam was fragile right now. Even the slightest thing could set him off, and John wasn’t willing to risk it. “You might not hurt him on purpose Dean, but for all we know, just being around you is hurting him. For all we know, just seeing your face brings back memories of what happened to him!” Shaking his head, John explained, “Look, I get that the two of you are close, but I think this is the best thing for Sam right now. At least until we can get him back on his feet.”

Just as Dean was about to shoot back a response, Sam came over, his body almost pressing against Dean’s side because he was standing so close. He had seen the altercation taking place from where he’d been sitting with Missouri and he figured he had better come over and see what was going on. “Hey, is everything all right?” Sam asked, a small frown coming to his lips when he noticed that his brother was practically shaking he was so angry.

Things were far from fine, but there was no need to upset Sam over something that wasn’t even going to happen. “Yeah Sammy,” Dean answered with a small nod. “Everything’s fine. Dad was just saying that he was leaving tomorrow morning.” He hoped like hell that John was smart enough to leave it at that, but Dean had a feeling that John wasn’t going to be so kind. 

Unfortunately, Dean’s suspicions had been true, his father standing to his full height once more. “No Sam, Dean and I were just discussing you two spending a little time apart,” John explained, glaring at Dean for his disobedience. Dean had always been the obedient son and now he was starting to fight him at every turn. “Just until you can get back on your feet, Sam. As soon as you feel back to yourself, you can come back and see your brother.”

The instant John explained what they had been talking about, Sam’s body tensed. He felt tears spring to his eyes as he looked at Dean before turning his attention back to John. “Y-You want to take me away from Dean?” he asked, licking his lips as he gave his head a small shake. “D-Dean…do you want me to leave?” He thought that they were making progress, but if Dean thought he was too much to handle now, then he would leave him. But he wanted Dean to say the words himself.

“No!” Dean answered without hesitation. “You know I wouldn’t want that, Sam!” Dean could feel Sam starting to pull away, so he grabbed him, his hand gripping Sam’s elbow tightly. “Sammy, look at me,” he instructed. “Dad made that whole thing up by himself. He thinks that you’re not ready to be around me because of what happened to you.” Sighing, Dean released his brother’s arm, shaking his head once more. “He doesn’t think you know that I’m not the ‘shifter. And that you’re only sticking around me because you don’t want me to hurt you.”

A deep frown came to Sam’s lips as he listened to Dean telling him their father’s crazy ideas. “N-No, that’s not true,” Sam answered, grabbing Dean as soon as the older man let him go. “Dad, I know who Dean is!” His attention flicked to Dean briefly, Sam apologizing with his eyes before he turned his gaze on John once more. “I love him, Dad. I’m not leaving him.”

It hurt John to make Sam leave Dean, but this was the only way he could see to protect both of his boys. “I know you do,” John assured Sam. “He’s your brother and you love him, but sometimes it’s good to take some time apart.” He and Mary had even taken a few weeks apart at one point. And he and the boys had been apart for quite a while before all of this. Sometimes, family just needed a break from each other.

Angry that his father wasn’t listening, Sam shouted, “No Dad, you don’t understand! You’re not listening to me! I’m _in love_ with him!” He could see the instant his words clicked in John’s brain, Sam swallowing thickly as his eyes ticked to Dean. His brother’s expression was unreadable and for a minute, Sam thought that he’d made the wrong decision. But he’d been dying to get this out and if John wanted a fight, then Sam was going to give him on. The last thing he was doing was leaving Dean. Right now, Dean was the only thing holding him together.

Their argument had caused a scene, everyone in the Roadhouse staring at the Winchester’s with different expressions on their faces. Some were shocked while others seemed relieved that the news was finally out. But no one looked more shocked than John. “I’m in love with him,” Sam repeated, giving his head a small nod. “S-So if you want to go, then you can go by yourself. I’m staying with Dean.”

Without giving anyone a chance to say anything to him, Sam stormed out of the bar area and headed towards his room. He hoped that Dean would follow him, but he wasn’t going to force his brother. After all, Sam had just dropped a huge ball on everyone and he could understand if Dean was mad at him for it. They’d discussed how it was supposed to go and this hadn’t been it. But John had just made Sam so angry – he couldn’t keep his mouth shut after that.

Surprisingly though, Sam felt a lot better after that whole showdown. He’d stuck up to his father and he’d told everyone how he really felt. For the first time since he got back from his six weeks in Hell, Sam felt like himself again – he felt like he could do anything and he loved it. After everything that he’d been through, Sam had honestly been starting to wonder if he was ever going to be able to get back to normal and now he had hope. Maybe he was going to be all right after all.

Not five minutes after he’d slammed the door shut, Dean walked into the room, his attention laser-focused on Sam as though he thought his brother was going to fall to pieces right in front of him. And hell, it wouldn’t have been too much of a stretch to believe that – Sam had done it so many times since he’d been back. But not tonight – right now, Sam felt strong.

Before Dean could say anything, Sam moved towards him, arms wrapping around Dean’s shoulders as he crushed their lips together, the force of their bodies colliding knocking Dean backwards into the door, forcing it to slam shut. A few days ago – hell, a few _hours_ ago – Sam wouldn’t have had the courage to do this. But it was like the dam in his mind that had stopped him from being with his brother completely had broken and the emotions were just rolling in. “D-Dean,” Sam moaned against his brother’s lips, kissing Dean once more before he continued. “M’ready.”

Those few words had to be the best things Dean had ever heard. Finally, after so long of wondering if he and Sam were ever going to be okay again, his brother was ready. But Dean needed to be sure. His father’s words were still ringing in his head and he just couldn’t push Sam into something he wasn’t ready for. “Are you sure?” he asked when the kiss broke so they could both pull much needed air into their bodies. “B-Because I can wait if you’re not completely sure. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. You know that right, Sammy?”

“I know,” Sam assured his brother with a nod. “But I want this. I know I do. There’s no doubt in my mind that I want to be with you again.” Pulling back, Sam slowly walked backwards towards the bed, stripping out of his clothes as he did. Once he was completely naked, he crawled into the bed, leaning back on his elbows as he waited for Dean to strip and join him. Luckily, he didn’t have to wait long, his brother getting the picture pretty quickly. He gasped softly when Dean knelt on the floor beside the bed, his hands sliding up Sam’s calves to his knees, gripping Sam’s legs and pulling him – somewhat roughly – closer to his body.

When Dean had Sam where he wanted him, he tossed his little brother’s legs over his shoulders, smiling at Sam before he dipped his head, tongue sliding along Sam’s perineum before it moved lower, licking a stripe over Sam’s tight pucker once Dean spread Sam’s cheeks. This wasn’t something he did often, so he wasn’t exactly all that comfortable in this area, but he thought Sam deserved a better preparation than just his fingers and lube. This was more intimate, and he wanted Sam to have that right now.

Sam gasped softly at the first lick to his hole, the younger man tensing a little with surprise. “Oh God, Dean…” Sam moaned, his head falling back against the mattress as he pushed his body closer to Dean’s. It wasn’t very often that his brother tongue fucked him, so Sam was going to take advantage of it while he could. Honestly, he loved it when Dean used his tongue instead of lube – it was so much better. 

As Dean continued to open Sam up with his tongue and fingers, the younger man pushed back against Dean, practically fucking the older man’s face as his heels dug into Dean’s shoulder blades, holding his brother close. The last thing Sam wanted was for Dean to stop. However, when he felt his orgasm starting to build, Sam eased up, giving his head a small shake on the bed. “D-Dean, m’gonna come,” he breathed, trying to make his brother stop. “Please…Dean…can’t stop it.”

Hearing Sam warn him that he was going to come, Dean pulled his head away from Sam’s ass, leaving only his fingers as he smiled at his little brother. “Do it Sammy,” he breathed, his head dipping once more as he took the head of Sam’s dick in his mouth this time. That was all it took to push Sam over the edge, the younger man’s back arching as he shouted out in pleasure. As he rode through the waves of his orgasm, Sam’s hands slid down his own body, fingers carding through Dean’s short-cropped hair, moaning as he was blown within an inch of his life. 

After Sam’s orgasm had subsided, Dean pulled back, smirking as he crawled up Sam’s body, pressing kisses to Sam’s flesh along the way. “You’re so fucking unbelievable Sammy,” he whispered against his brother’s skin, nipping playfully. “You have no idea how much I love you.”

A small smile came to Sam’s lips as he nodded. “I have some idea,” he promised Dean, rolling onto his side so that he could face his brother. “Let me help you,” he whispered, reaching down to take his brother’s dick in his hand. However, his smile quickly turned to a frown when he realized that Dean wasn’t hard anymore. “You already came? Just from…” Honestly, Sam was a little shocked by that.

“Hey, I missed you,” Dean quickly defended. “Shut up!” Pointing at Sam in warning to keep his mouth shut, Dean shook his head. He could tell that Sam was baffled by the fact that he’d had an orgasm just from getting Sam off, but he wasn’t going to let Sam make fun of him for it. Rolling his eyes, Dean grabbed Sam and pulled him close against his chest, not caring that they were going to be all sticky and gross in the morning. “Bitch,” he mumbled, his fingers stroking through Sam’s hair lovingly.

Not even really thinking about it, Sam snapped back, “Jerk.” This was good – it was _normal_. As Sam curled up against Dean’s side and closed his eyes, ready to get some sleep, he just knew that everything was going to be fine.


End file.
